RSF urges parties to adopt press freedom programme before Indian elections

Since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India in 2014, India's press freedom has sharply declined, falling to 161 of 180 countries in RSF's 2023 press freedom index

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF), a Paris-based press freedom advocacy organisation has asked political parties participating in the forthcoming general elections in India to endorse 10 concrete measures, to uphold the fundamental right to accurate news and information and ensure protection of journalists.

In a press statement, RSF says that since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India in 2014, India’s press freedom has sharply declined, falling to 161 of 180 countries in RSF’s 2023 press freedom index.

RSF says that the persecution of journalists and media has intensified dramatically in India and that 28 journalists have been killed since 2014, while nine are currently imprisoned.

The statement adds that terrorism laws are being exploited to target media personnel, with police and tax agencies frequently deployed to stifle independent media voices. Journalists face routine exposure to disinformation campaigns, compounded by restricted access for foreign journalists in India.

“It is unacceptable that the country portrayed as the world’s biggest democracy now lacks so many of the safeguards needed to sustain a free and diverse press. It is unacceptable that Indian journalists and foreign reporters are subjected to so much obstruction in their day-to-day work. There is an urgent need for political parties to affirm their commitment to safeguarding the public’s right to reliable, diverse and independent information, and to adopting measures to end the continuous erosion of press freedom seen in India during the past decade. We offer them ten key measures to include in their programmes,” says Célia Mercier, Head of RSF’s South Asia Desk.

RSF has asked Indian political parties to commit to press freedom by adopting the following 10 key recommendations

1. Immediately free the nine arbitrarily detained journalists, including five from the northern Jammu and Kashmir region.
2. Overhaul the terrorism laws so that they can no longer be used to persecute journalists.
3. End the censorship and surveillance of journalists.
4. Establish an independent commission of enquiry into cases of spying on journalists.
5. Protect the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.
6. Safeguard pluralism by regulating media concentration.
7. Adopt mechanisms for protecting journalists.
8. Put a stop to arbitrary Internet shutdowns.
9. End the restrictions on access to certain parts of the country.
10. Safeguard the foreign media’s right to cover India.