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States of Control: Covid, Cuts and Impunity South Asia Press Freedom Report – 2019-20 2 Ifj Press Freedom Report 2019–2020

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States of Control: Covid, Cuts and Impunity South Asia Press Freedom Report – 2019-20 2 Ifj Press Freedom Report 2019–2020 STATES OF CONTROL: COVID, CUTS AND IMPUNITY SOUTH ASIA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT – 2019-20 2 IFJ PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019–2020 JOURNALISTS DETAINED IN SOUTH ASIA (MAY 1, 2019 – APRIL 30, 2020) he IFJ documented cases of 50 journalists detained or jailed in 450ml of liquor and 100g of hemp for illegally carrying US dollars and South Asia from May 2019 to April 2020. by a mobile court after a midnight dealing in currency exchange. He was In Afghanistan, ten journalists were arrested or detained for raid. The court sentenced him to detained after he allegedly received US Tshort periods for crimes such as criticism of government or one year in prison and a fine of BDT currency for a provided IT service to a alleged links to the Taliban but most were released within hours 50,000 (USD 560). client who was a relative of a member after the intervention of media advocacy groups, unions and the Status: Currently in jail. of parliament for the ruling Awami joint committee on government and media. In the period, 30 League. He was charged with digital/ journalists were detained for 24 hours or less, highlighting issues of INDIA electronic fraud and for publishing threat and intimidation to silence journalist reporting in the region. or sending of offensive, false or fear Name: Aasif Sultan inducing or defamatory information. India again was the region’s leader in detention and incarceration Male Gender: Status: Released on bail on July 3, of journalists for longer periods, with ten journalists detained or Detained: August 27, 2018 (Sultan 2019 jailed in the year, compared to eight the previous year, including was held in police lock-up from the ongoing incarceration of Asif Sultan from 2018. Concerningly, August 27 until being formally a large number of journalists continued to be charged for sharing arrested on August 31) INDIA content on social media platforms, with an overwhelming majority Job: Assistant editor, Kashmir Name: Anuj Shukla (M) & Ishita of cases relating to politicians or political media coverage. Narrator Singh (F) Four journalists currently remain behind bars in the region; two in Location: Srinagar, Jammu and Detained: June 8, 2019 Bangladesh, one in India and one in Pakistan. The case of Pakistan’s Kashmir, India Job: Journalists, Nation Live News Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman remained in news headlines in March and Accusation: Sultan was charged under Location: Uttar Pradesh, India April 2020. The editor-in-chief of the Jang and Geo Media Group was the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Accusation: Shukla and Singh were arrested on March 12 on a case dating back 34 years. Act, an anti-terror law which has arrested for sharing a video on Twitter come under sharp criticism for which was deemed to defame the Bangladesh still sits on a critical watch list for the IFJ with six curtailing freedom of expression. The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi journalists detained or in continuing incarceration in the period. journalist was charged for publishing Adityanath. The video contained Detainment and arrests increased drastically in Nepal, from four a feature story in July 2018 on the claims made by a woman against the the year prior to 24 in the current period. This was largely a result of second anniversary of the death of the minister. police propensity to round up and detain journalists at protests. young Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani, Status: Released on bail on June 19, Of the 50 detained, at least 10 journalists were released on bail. a killing that sparked months of strife while Shukla was released on bail on Nasrullah Chaudhry, who was arrested in Karachi on allegations of on the streets. July 21. carrying journals and booklets about Afghan Jihad and the Punjabi Status: Currently in jail. Taliban on December 11, 2019, was acquitted by the Sindh High Name: Qazi Shibli Court on April 9, 2020. Gender: Male PAKISTAN Detained: July 25, 2019 Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman Name: Job: News editor, The Kashmiriyat Male Gender: Location: Kashmir, India March 12, 2020 TOTAL JAILED JAILED JOURNALISTS - Detained: Accusation: Shibli was arrested after OR DETAINED: CURRENTLY IN JAIL Job: Editor in chief, Jang & Geo tweeting an official order regarding Media Group the deployment of paramilitary Currently in jail: 4 BANGLADESH Location: Karachi, Pakistan troops across the Kashmir region Detained for more Name: Abul Asad Accusation: Rehman was arrested that allegedly leaked crucial details than one week: 14 Gender: Male following an investigation by the about imminent troop movements in Detained for less than Detained: December 13, 2019 National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Jammu and Kashmir. He was charged one week: 4 Job: Editor, Daily Sangram into allegations that a property he under the Public Safety Act. purchased 34 years prior had been Detained for one day Accusation: Asad was arrested for Status: Released on April 23, 2020. bought illegally. Jang & Geo Media or less: 30 describing an executed opposition Group is one of the largest media leader convicted for war crimes Name: Santosh Jaiswal groups in Pakistan and is famous for TOTAL: 52 as a “martyr” in a Bengali- Gender: Male its critical investigations of Pakistani language newspaper published on Detained: September 6, 2019 (Women jailed: 1) politicians. December 12. The article referred Job: Journalist, Jansandesh Times In solitary confinement in to Abdul Quader Molla, who was Status: Location: Uttar Pradesh, India a NAB facility. Yet to be formally hanged over crimes committed Accusation: Arrested for taking TOTAL JAILED OR during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of charged. photos and videos of children independence. When the article was mopping floors at a local primary DETAINED BY COUNTRY published, Hatirjheel Police Station JOURNALISTS JAILED FOR school in Uttar Pradesh on September IN SOUTH ASIA filed a case against Asad under the 6 and sending them to police to Digital Security Act. MORE THAN ONE WEEK bring to notice the illegal practice. Afghanistan: 11 Status: Currently in jail. BANGLADESH Jaiswal was arrested over accusations Bangladesh: 3 Name: Mohammad Abdul Kaium, of “extortion and obstructing public Name: Ariful Islam Bhutan: 0 Gender: Male servants from doing their duty”. Gender: Male Nepal: 23 Detained: May 12, 2019 Status: Released on bail on Detained Date: March 13, 2020 India: 10 Job: Editor, Mymensinghlive November 20, 2019. Job: Journalist, Bangla Tribune Maldives: 0 Location: Mymensingh District, Location: Kurigram, Bangladesh Bangladesh Name: Zubair Ahmed Pakistan: 3 Accusation: Islam was charged and Accusation: Kaium, a journalist Gender: Male Sri Lanka: 1 convicted with alleged possession of and IT professional, was arrested Detained: April 27, 2020 3 IN THE PERIOD, 30 JOURNALISTS WERE DETAINED FOR 24 HOURS OR LESS, HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES OF THREAT AND INTIMIDATION TO SILENCE JOURNALISTS REPORTING IN THE REGION. Job: Freelance journalist Detained: August 23, 2019 journals and booklets about Afghan • Rahul Kulkarni (M), 14- Location: Andaman, India Job: Editor, janasanchar.com Jihad and the Punjabi Taliban. 16/04/20, Osmanabad, India: Accusation: Freelance journalist Location: Pokhara, Nepal The items were said to include Arrested over a report on the Zubair Ahmed is arrested and taken Accusation: Charged with sedition materials that help sow disharmony recommencement of trains in to Aberdeen police station for his for allegedly supporting the banned on sectarian grounds and motivate Bandra after it allegedly prompted tweet asking why a family has been Communist Party of Nepal led by people to take part in jihad. The mass gathering of migrants during put under quarantine for a phone Netra Bikram Chand. charge-sheet alleged Chaudhry had the Covid-19 lockdown. Released call with Covid-19 quarantine Status: Released on September 10, links with al-Qaeda leader Khalid on bail. patients. Police charged Zubair 2019. Mukshi. under the Disaster Management Act Status: Acquitted by the Sindh High for obstruction, disobedience and the Name: Jitendra Maharjan Court on April 9, 2020. JOURNALISTS DETAINED 24 publishing of information that may Gender: Male HOURS OR LESS cause alarm to the public. Detained: April 9, 2019 • Nine (9) journalists detained Job: Editor, Nhugu Jwojoloppa SRI LANKA Status: Released on bail on April together at a protest in Location: Kathmandu, Nepal Name: Mohammed Rizvi Maharoof 28, 2020 Dhanusha, Nepal – 12/06/19 - Accusation: Police arrested and Gender: Male RN Biswas (M), Shyam Sundar charged Maharjan under crimes Detained Date: May 27, 2019 Yadav (M), Baidhanath Yadav (M), NEPAL connected to state and organised Job: Journalist Nabin Kumar Gupta (M), Bhusan Name: Khem Thapaliya crime. He was alleged to have close Location: Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka Kumar Singh (M), Bindu Yadav Gender: Male relations with the Netra Bikram Accusation: Maharoof was (M), Dharmapal Raut (M), Gopal Detained: August 10, 2019 Chand-led Communist Party of arrested on suspicion regarding the Gupta (M),Parish Karna (M). Job: Editor-in-chief, Jaljala Nepal, which was branded a possession of 326 CDs alleged to Location: Kathmandu, Nepal criminal outfit by the government in contain sermons and other publicity • Asadullah Samim, Paktika, Accusation: Police arrested March 2020. material of the National Thowheed Afghanistan, 23/07/19 (M) Thapaliya for alleged involvement Status: Released on bail on April Jamath, which was accused of • Sajan Saud, Pokhara, Nepal – in the outlawed Chand-led Nepal 30, 2019 carrying out the Easter Sunday 02/08/19 (M) Communist Party after the party attacks in April 2019.
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