Journalists' bodies write to Prez decrying 'draconian laws' and diminishing press freedom

New Delhi: Eight media bodies and a lawyers’ union on Monday jointly wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention to protect freedom of media and the right to occupation and livelihood, claiming that the use of “draconian laws” against journalists had gone up “exponentially”.

The letter said that under some of these draconian laws, authorities have used their “unfettered right” to seize equipment such as phones, laptops and hard disks that are a source of livelihood for the media community. These laws do not provide for bail where incarceration is the norm and not the exception, it said.

Though the letter did not mention it or any other instance, the letter came against the backdrop of the arrest of NewsClick founder-editor Prabir Purakayastha and HR Head Amit Chakrabarty under UAPA and seizure of equipment of 44 other journalists, consultants and non-journalist staff, accusing the portal of using foreign fund to run Chinese propaganda.

The letter was signed by the Press Club of India, Press Association, Indian Women Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Digipub, Foreign Correspondent Club, Veteran Journalist Group and All India Lawyers Union.

Emphasising that the independent media is facing “unprecedented situation” though they take a “lot of pride in the strides that the country has made in the past 75 years”, it said there was a “dark period” when the Fourth Estate was “fettered”, a phase which the Indian democracy would not like to see repeated.

“Today, our community faces a similar but more insidious challenge. Even as the majority in our profession face precarious working conditions, the use of draconian laws against journalists has gone up exponentially. Many of these laws do not even acknowledge the special role that our independent press plays – that of being the voice of so many diverse citizens of this country,” it said.

The letter said the media must be free for a democracy to thrive and progress and the independent media with all its diversity has been able to bring forth many of the pressing issues faced by ordinary people.