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☆ Opinion: I’ve seen too many young journalists pay the ultimate price. It’s them I’ll be thinking of today
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Opinion Jon Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

When a journalist is killed, it is not just their voice that is silenced: Press freedom is your freedom. Over 30 years ago, the United Nations recognized May 3 as World Press Freedom Day: a global reminder of the importance of press freedom and an opportunity to assess its health around the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that at least 100 journalists and media workers have been killed since we last marked World Press Freedom Day. Tragically, on this World Press Freedom Day, our work is needed more than ever. On this World Press Freedom Day, the fallen who gave their lives for the truth should serve as a reminder as to why press freedom is really your freedom.

Persons: Jon Williams, Rory Peck, Read, Jon Williams Rory Peck, Bayeux, ”, Simon Cumbers, Simon, Al, Louise, Cumbers, Johnny Green, Thomas Jefferson, ” Jefferson, it’s, Dom Phillips, Phillips, Aldeia Maloca, Bruno Pereira, Joao Laet, don’t Organizations: Rory Peck Trust, BBC News, ABC News, CNN, 1st Cavalry, Canadian, BBC, The Washington Post, United Nations, Protect Journalists, Getty, United, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Bayeux, Northern France, France, Omaha Beach, Europe, Nazi Germany, Normandy, Paris, “, Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda, Saudi, Riyadh, Ireland, London, South, Indonesia, Turkey, India, Madrid, Irish, Kabul, Afghanistan, Gaza, Ukraine, Honduras, Sudan, Philippines, Brazil, Aldeia, Roraima, AFP, Britain, United States, Israel, Egypt

☆ U.S. Seeks to Build World Pressure on Russia Over Space Nuclear Weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

American officials are trying to increase international pressure on Russia not to deploy an antisatellite nuclear weapon in space, and have obtained information that undermines Moscow’s explanation that the device it is developing is for peaceful scientific purposes, a senior State Department official said on Friday. Concern over the Russian development of a new generation of space nuclear weapons has been growing in Washington, especially since Moscow’s veto last month of a U.N. measure aimed at keeping space free of such weapons. Some Republicans believe that the Biden administration is not doing enough to deter Russian work on the device, and others are concerned about China’s apparent decision not to pressure Moscow to stop. On Friday, Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary of state for arms control, said that while the United States had been aware of Russia’s pursuit of such a device for years, “only recently have we been able to make a more precise assessment of their progress.”Ms. Stewart, speaking at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the orbit the Russian satellite would occupy is in a high-radiation region not used by other satellites, information that undercuts Russia’s defense that it is not developing a weapon.

Persons: Biden, Mallory Stewart, “, Ms, Stewart Organizations: State Department, Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russia, Washington, Moscow, United States

Gazan journalists told CNN they are haunted by their colleagues’ deaths, as they balance the emotional labor of covering the war with trying to protect their families. Israel launched a military assault on Gaza on October 7 after the militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others. After nearly seven months of war, Abu Dagga told CNN that she, too, wants to leave. The photojournalist for Turkish state broadcaster TRT told CNN he had been traveling through the neighborhood, after being displaced from the local refugee camp. We hope that God will bring him back to us safely.”Whether they report from within the enclave, or elsewhere, Palestinian journalists told CNN they could not turn away from the horrors unfolding in Gaza.

Persons: CNN —, ” Dr, Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, Médecins, Israel, Wael Al, ”, Mariam Abu Dagga, ” Al, Hamza Al, “, Abu Dagga, ’, Heath, ” Mariam Abu Dagga, Khan Younis, Mohammad Ahmed, Shrapnel, Ahmed, Nobody, ” Ahmed, Adnan, what’s, ” Mohammad Ahmed, Ibrahim Dahman, Rasha, – Zeid, Khalil, ” Dahman, Dahman, Sheikh Radwan, ” Ibrahim Dahman, Saeed Al, Taweel, Alaa Abu Mohsen, Al, Saeed, ” Mohsen, Mahmud Hams, Saba, ‘ Saeed, ’ ”, Jaafrawi, Nidal, Haitham Abdelwahed, Wahidi, Erez, Beit, Mohammed Soboh, Arafat Barbakh, Fadi Wael Abdel Karim Al, ’ ” Fadi, Fadi Organizations: CNN, Awda, Protect Journalists, Independent, AFP, Getty, ”, Press, Borders, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Hamas, Ministry of Health, United, United Arab Emirates, TRT, Al, Wafa, Saba Al, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Reuters, Cross Locations: Jabalya, Gaza, Israel, Rafah, ” Al Jazeera's Gaza, Palestine, United Arab, Khan, Egypt, Turkish, Gaza City, Sheikh Radwan, Wadi Gaza, Giza, Cairo, Sheikh, Phoenix, AFP, Israeli

☆ Time Is Running Out for Rahul Gandhi’s Vision for India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Samanth Subramanian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The crush of people at the rally was suffocating, although in India a crowd is no index of popularity. At 53, with a well-salted beard and serious eyes, he’s too old to be called Congress’s “scion,” but he still wears the sheen of dynasty. Then, on the heels of several corruption scandals, the mighty party — 140 years old next year — came unstuck. One of Modi’s successes has been not just to trounce the Congress Party but also to persuade people that the party has weakened India and emasculated its Hindus. (Amnesty itself halted its work in India in 2020, in the midst of what it later called an “incessant witch hunt” by the government.)

Persons: —, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Modi, ” Organizations: Congress, Party, Amnesty, World Press Locations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ India general election 2024: What to know about the world’s biggest vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Under Modi, India has become the world’s fastest growing major economy, pushing the country of 1.4 billion people to near-superpower status. Here’s what you need to know about the largest election in human history:How does India vote? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. Congress senior party leader Rahul Gandhi during the release of the party manifesto on April 5, 2024 in New Delhi. The ruling BJP’s symbol is a lotus, while the Congress party is a raised, open-palmed hand.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Noah Seelam, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Congress ’ Mamata Banerjee, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, Himanshu Sharma, Modi’s, Kejriwal, Sanjeev Verma, Nasir Kachroo, Biju Boro Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, European Union, Getty, Indian National Congress, Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi, West, All India, Modi, Hindustan Times, Minorities, Analysts, Bahujan Samaj Party, Farmers, for Media Studies Locations: India, United States, Russia, Lok, Hyderabad, AFP, INDIA, West Bengal, Tamil, Pushkar, Delhi, New Delhi, Ayodhya, Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, China, Lohore Sapori, Assam

☆ Greece legalizes same-sex marriage in a first for an Orthodox Christian country
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Athens, Greece CNN —The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, in a landmark victory for human rights in Greece and making it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. Now, same-sex parents can both be recognized as legal parents to their children. A recent poll carried out by Metron Analysis showed that although 62% of respondents said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, 69% were against same-sex parenthood. The same-sex marriage bill has drawn the wrath of the influential Greek Orthodox Church to which more than 80% of the population belong. All three voted against the same-sex marriage law, and the legislation could still push some angry voters to the right ahead of European elections in June.

Persons: Greece CNN —, Andrea Gilbert, “, ”, Katerina Trimmi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Sergio Berezovski, Mitsotakis, Alexis Rafailides, Stefanos, ” Kasselakis, Tyler McBeth, Kasselakis, Elias …, ” Stelios Pandazopoulos, Angelo, – Organizations: Greece CNN, Athens Pride, CNN, Greek National Commission of Human Rights, Rainbow, Computer, EU, Metron, New Democracy Locations: Athens, Greece, surrogates, Thursdau, ”, Syriza, American, Karditsa

☆ Israeli strikes deepen panic in Rafah as UN aid chief warns a ground offensive could result in ‘slaughter’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It remains unclear how or when a ground offensive would unfold, and that uncertainty is adding to anxiety among Palestinians in Rafah about where to go and what to do. Israeli military action in Rafah “has already led to and will result in further large scale killing, harm and destruction,” the government said in its request to the World Court. “We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah… We cannot stand by and let this continue,” he said. Palestinians inspect damaged buildings after Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on February 12, 2024. They told us this area was safe… they told us Rafah was safe.

Persons: Leo Varadkar, Peter Lerner, ”, “ We’re, … We’re, We’ve, Mo’men, Martin Griffiths, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Lerner, Gaza ”, UN’s Griffiths, Ashraf Amra, Antonio Tajani, King Abdullah II, Israel “, Varadkar, Karim Khan, Daniel Hagari, Abed Rahim Khatib, Khan Younis, We’re, Jarwan, ” Nahla, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Court, Reuters, ” United, Israel Defense Forces, Residents, Getty, Criminal, European Union, Foreign Ministry, Criminal Court, ICC, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israeli Air Force, World Health Organization Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Gazan, ” Israel, Palestinian, ” United Nations, Hamas’s, South Africa, Rafah “, Deir, Balah, Deir al, Anadolu, European, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, China, Italian, ”, Palestine, Al

☆ Some Palestinians Leave Rafah Refuge, Fearing Israeli Assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Mohammad SalemRAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Nahla Jarwan fled her home in the central Gaza Strip to seek refuge in Rafah - like more than 1 million other Palestinians escaping Israel's military offensive. Now, as Israeli shells crash into Rafah, Jarwan said she is going back to an area she fled, even though nowhere is safe. She is one of dozens of people who residents said were leaving Rafah on Tuesday after Israeli shelling and air strikes in recent days. For Palestinians, Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip has provided sanctuary from an Israeli offensive which has killed more than 28,000 people, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said it has ordered the army to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah.

Persons: Mohammad Salem, Nahla Jarwan, Jarwan, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, We're, I'm, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Momen Shbair, Khan Younis, Nidal al, Tom Perry, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Al, UNRWA, Aid Locations: Mohammad Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Al, Egypt

☆ U.N. Expert Tells Philippines to Act on Media Killings, Abolish Anti-Communist Task Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Irene Khan, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, spent almost two weeks in the Philippines to assess the state of free speech and media rights. "The Philippines remains a dangerous country for journalists," Khan said, adding "much more needs to be done to attack impunity". A U.N. special rapporteur who visited Manila last year had a similar recommendation. The task force has been accused of "red-tagging", the practice of accusing government critics of being rebel sympathisers as a pre-text to silence, arrest or even kill them. The task force will "transition to a different body", given the weakening communist insurgency, Malaya said.

Persons: Irene Khan, Khan, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Jonathan Malaya, Mikhail Flores, Timothy Heritage Organizations: United, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, World Press Locations: MANILA, United Nations, Philippines, Manila, Malaya

CNN —Two journalists imprisoned in Iran following their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests in 2022, have been temporarily released on bail, according to state-run media. Convicted in October, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are currently awaiting a verdict on their appeals, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA. But the women were allowed to leave their Tehran jail on Sunday with a bail of 10 billion tomans each (nearly $200,000 each), IRNA reported. Mohammadi was arrested after reporting on Amini’s funeral, according to RSF and the United Nations. “UNESCO welcomed the release on bail today of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two of the three laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.

Persons: Mahsa, Niloofar, IRNA, Hamedi, Mohammadi, Amini, ”, Hamedi’s, Mohamad Hosein Ajoroloo –, –, Amini’s, Amjad, “, Sherif Mansour, Guillermo Cano, Elaheh Mohammadi, —, Niloofar Hamedi Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Committee, Protect Journalists, UNESCO, TIME, Sunday, “ UNESCO Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA, East, North Africa

☆ Minnie Chan: Media groups raise concerns following report of ‘missing’ Hong Kong journalist in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Press freedom groups are voicing concern for veteran Hong Kong journalist Minnie Chan following a news report that she went missing after traveling to Beijing to cover a security forum in late October. The association, a trade union which advocates for press freedom, called for friends or relatives with information to get in touch. Chan is a highly regarded journalist in Hong Kong and among international audiences who closely follow China news. China ranks 179 out of 180 in the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index. It is the world’s largest captor of journalists and press freedom defenders with at least 121 detained, according to the organization.

Persons: Hong, Minnie Chan, “, Chan, ”, Cheng Lei, Haze Fan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Press, Protect Journalists, Kyodo, China Morning, Beijing ”, China’s Foreign, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Bloomberg News, China Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Hangzhou

☆ Fahad Shah: Award-winning Kashmir journalist in press freedom case released after nearly two years behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Kashmir journalist who was arrested under India’s sedition and anti-terror laws has returned home Thursday after being released on bail following nearly two years behind bars. Critics say Shah’s case highlights declining press freedoms in the contested region. Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, the mountainous Kashmir region has been at the epicenter of an often-violent territorial struggle between the nuclear-armed neighbors for more than 70 years. On Monday, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court ordered his release and quashed some of the charges, according to a court document seen by CNN. “The arrest of Fahad Shah shows Jammu and Kashmir authorities’ utter disregard for press freedom and the fundamental right of journalists to report freely and safely,” said Steven Butler, Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia program, at the time.

Persons: Fahad Shah, Narendra Modi, Shah, India ”, ”, Fahad, Steven Butler, Modi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kashmir’s, abetted, Jammu &, Court, CNN, Protect Journalists ’, Guardian, Human Rights Locations: Hong Kong, Kashmir Walla, Kashmir, New Delhi, India, Pakistan, Islamabad, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Fahad Shah, Protect Journalists ’ Asia, Delhi, Laos, Philippines

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — People younger than 18 have been barred from visiting this year's World Press Photo exhibition in Budapest, after Hungary's right-wing populist government determined that some of its photos violate a contentious law restricting LGBTQ+ content. The prestigious global photo exhibition, on display in Hungary's National Museum in Budapest, receives more than 4 million visitors from around the world every year. Showcasing outstanding photojournalism, its mission is to bring visual coverage of a range of important events to a global audience. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesJoumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo, called it worrisome that a photo series “that is so positive, so inclusive,” had been targeted by Hungary’s government. “How the LGBTQ minority lives is not the biggest problem in the world,” Duro told the AP.

Persons: Hannah Reyes Morales, El Zein Khoury, ”, Khoury, Viktor Orbán, Ursula von der, ” Dora Duro, ” Duro, ” Reyes Morales, “, Tamas Revesz, Morales, ” Revesz Organizations: —, World Press, Associated Press, European Union, AP, Press Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Budapest, Philippines, Europe, Ukraine

☆ NewsClick: Indian police raid news site critical of Modi's government, fueling fears for press freedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Those questioned include reporters, editors and contributors linked to NewsClick, an independent news website known for being fiercely critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Some of those taken for questioning reported the raids on Twitter, now known as X, as they were taking place. India, with a population of 1.4 billion people, is the world’s largest democracy and one of the largest media markets in the world. Media personnel outside the Delhi Police's Special Cell in New Delhi, India, on Oct. 3. Altaf Qadri/APBut the Modi administration has been repeatedly accused of intimidating the press, stifling free speech, and censoring independent news organizations.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Prabir Purkayastha, Amit Chakravarty, Bhasha Singh, “, Abhisar Sharma, Modi, Anurag Thakur, ”, Altaf Qadri, Digipub Organizations: CNN — Police, Police, Twitter, Delhi, Cell, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, CNN, Information, . Media, of India, Press, Amnesty Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, Odisha, India, Mumbai, Laos, Djibouti

☆ Nobel laureate Ressa acquitted in Philippine tax case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Mikhail Flores | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Philippines Nobel laureate Maria Ressa faces the media after she and her news site Rappler were acquitted of tax fraud by a trial court in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, September 12, 2023. After the verdict was announced, Ressa told reporters Her acquittal sends a "good signal" to the business community, as her tax charges "have a lot to do with the rule of law". "The acquittal now strengthens our resolve to continue with the justice system, to submit ourselves to the court despite the political harassment, despite the attack on press freedom," Ressa said. Ressa's acquittal was expected after she was cleared of similar tax charges nine months ago. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has been in office for 14 months, has said he would not interfere in the court cases against Rappler.

Persons: Maria Ressa, Rappler, Eloisa Lopez, Rodrigo Duterte, Ressa, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Francis Lim, Mikhail Flores, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rappler, World Press, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Pasig City, Metro Manila, MANILA, Russian

☆ Fact Check-Rioting in Sweden occurred during Eritrean festival, not children's fair
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An August riot near the Swedish capital Stockholm took place during an Eritrean cultural festival and not a children’s fair, as suggested by a post on social media. The post (seen here and viewed more than 500,000 times) includes a video and a caption, reading: "Riots yesterday at a children's fair in Sweden." According to local media, protesters marched towards the festival area, got through the police cordons, threw rubbish at the festival participants and set tents and vehicles ablaze. The festival celebrating Eritrean cultural heritage is an annual event that has been taking place since the 1990s, local media says (here). The video shows clashes of supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime during a festival in Stockholm, not a children’s fair.

Persons: Asa Nilsson Soderstrom, Isaak, Read Organizations: Expressen, YouTube, Eritrean, watchdogs, World Press, SVT, Amnesty International, Statistics Sweden, Reuters Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, Eritrea, Syria, Turkmenistan, Iran, Vietnam, China, North Korea, Swedish, Eritrean

☆ Modi’s India Won’t Be A Reliable Partner for the U.S. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Arundhati Roy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mercilessly attacked by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s cheerleaders and other Hindu nationalists on Twitter, Ms. Siddiqui was accused of being a biased Pakistani Islamist hatemonger with an anti-India agenda. Eventually the White House had to step up and condemn the harassment as “antithetical to the very principles of democracy.” It felt as if everything that the White House had sought to gloss over had become embarrassingly manifest. The same cannot be said of the State Department and the White House. They would have known plenty about the man for whom they were rolling out the red carpet. Nobody in the 21st century should have to live as they do, with a boot on their throats.

Persons: Bharatiya Janata Party’s, Siddiqui, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: Bharatiya Janata, Twitter, White, State Department, Amnesty, 161st, World Press Locations: India, Gujarat, Kashmir

Uzra Zeya, U.S. under secretary of state for democracy and human rights, will also meet with Indian government officials to discuss "global challenges, democracy, regional stability, and cooperation on humanitarian relief," the State Department said in a statement on Friday. Biden said he discussed human rights with Modi but he did not publicly criticize Modi, his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or India's government on the topic. During his U.S. visit, Modi denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in India, a claim that activists called a lie and said was contradicted by documentation from human rights advocates. In reports released this year on human rights and religious freedom, the State Department raised concerns over treatment of Muslims, Hindu Dalits, Christians and other religious minorities in India while also noting a crackdown on journalists and dissidents. The U.N. human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as "fundamentally discriminatory" for excluding Muslim migrants.

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Uzra Zeya, Modi, Joe Biden, Biden, Zeya, Kanishka Singh, Alistair Bell Organizations: Indian, State Department, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, The State Department, World Press, Thomson Locations: U.S, India, United States, Bangladesh, Washington, China, Karnataka

☆ Modi's denial of discrimination against minorities in India is a lie, activists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File PhotoWASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - Narendra Modi's denial that discrimination against minorities exists in India contradicts thorough documentation by rights advocates, according to activists disappointed by President Joe Biden's embrace of the Indian prime minister. "When I say deliver - caste, creed, religion, gender - there is no space for any discrimination." Rights advocates said that by not publicly calling out the human rights situation in India, Biden had lost their trust. He failed on his campaign promises of promoting human rights," said Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, a group that monitors reports of attacks on Indian minorities. The U.N. human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as "fundamentally discriminatory" for excluding Muslim migrants.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Narendra, Joe Biden's, Biden, Modi, Sunita Viswanath, Raqib Hameed Naik, Modi's, Angana Chatterji, Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt, Grant McCool Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Human Rights, U.S . State Department, Modi's U.S, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rights, Hindutva, University of California, World Press, 161st, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, India, State, Washington, China, Berkeley, United States, Karnataka

☆ The Dangerous Reality of Modi’s India - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Maya Jasanoff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The message couldn’t be plainer: In Cold War II with China, the United States wants India on its side. Since Mr. Modi took power in 2014, India’s once-proud claim to being a free democratic society has collapsed on many fronts. Of the 180 nations surveyed in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, India sits at 161, a scant three places above Russia. The Freedom in the World index has tracked a steady erosion of Indian citizens’ political rights and civil liberties. On the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, India has tumbled squarely into the ranks of “flawed democracies.”

Persons: Narendra Modi, ’, Bill Gates, Gina Raimondo, I’m, Modi, India’s Organizations: Modi —, Economist Intelligence Locations: India, United States, China, Modi’s India, Russia

Biden said he discussed human rights and other democratic values with Modi during their talks in the White House. In reports on human rights and religious freedom, the State Department raised concerns over treatment of Muslims, Hindu Dalits, Christians and other religious minorities in India while also listing a crackdown on journalists. India has become a black-hole for religious minorities," said protester Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, a group that monitors reports of attacks on Indian minorities. Senator Bernie Sanders said Modi's "aggressive Hindu nationalism" has "left little space for India's religious minorities." The U.N. human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as "fundamentally discriminatory" for excluding Muslim migrants.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque WASHINGTON, Biden, Modi, MODI'S, Raqib Hameed Naik, Ilhan Omar, Rashida, Alexandria Ocasio, Bernie Sanders, Modi's, Barack Obama, Obama, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: India’s, U.S, White, REUTERS, Indian, State Department, Rights, Biden's Democratic Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Hindutva, U.S . Congress, World Press, 161st, CNN, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, India, China, Washington, Cortez, Karnataka

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - Rights advocates in Washington demanded that President Joe Biden publicly call out what they described as India's deteriorating human rights record, saying the U.S. approach of raising the issue in private with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a failure. In a press briefing on Wednesday, activists and academics also called for hearings in the U.S. Congress about human rights in India under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Modi, who is on a four-day visit to the United States. Critics of the Modi government's human rights record have cited less press freedom, restrictions on minority religious rights and other forms of discrimination and backsliding on democratic rights. The White House may bring up human rights concerns but it said that Biden will not "lecture" Modi on the issue. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Heather Timmons and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Modi, Nadine Maenza, Biden, Zaki Barzinji, Barack Obama, Angana Chatterji, Ilhan Omar, Rashida, Bernie Sanders, Critics, Kanishka Singh, Heather Timmons, Grant McCool Organizations: Rights, U.S, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, ., Wilson Center, International, Critics, White, University of California, U.S . Congress, World Press, 161st, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S, India, United States, Berkeley, Karnataka

WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. rights groups plan protests next week against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington over what they call India's deteriorating human rights record, even though experts do not expect Washington to be publicly critical of New Delhi. Washington hopes for closer ties with the world's largest democracy, which it sees as a counterweight to China, but rights advocates worry that geopolitics will overshadow human rights issues. The United States has said its human rights concerns related to India include the Indian government's targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists. In a letter to Biden, Human Rights Watch's Asia Division director Elaine Pearson urged the White House to raise concerns, both publicly and privately, about human rights in India during Modi's visit. Advocacy groups have also raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Modi, Joe Biden, Washington, Howdy Modi, Donald Trump, Biden, Elaine Pearson, Donald Camp, Camp, George W, Bush, Antony Blinken, Michael Kugelman, Kanishka Singh, Simon Lewis, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Don Durfee, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell Organizations: Indian, Indian American Muslim Council, Veterans, Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, House, United, Hindu, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Asia, Reuters, Biden, State Department, Strategic, International Studies, U.S . State Department, World Press, 161st, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, South Asia Institute, Wilson, Thomson Locations: Washington, New Delhi, Peace, China, United States, India, New York, Texas, Gujarat, U.S, Karnataka

It's an accepted fact," Gandhi, who belongs to the opposition Congress party, said in remarks at The National Press Club in a visit to Washington. China and India have been uneasy neighbors for decades following a war on their disputed Himalayan frontier in the early 1960s. In May, Modi said peace on India's border with China is essential for normal relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Separately, Gandhi blamed Modi for India's religious polarization, saying his Hindu nationalist party was not inclusive. They don't embrace everybody, and they divide society," Gandhi said.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi's, It's, Gandhi, Modi, Simon Lewis, Kanishka Singh, Jamie Freed Organizations: National Press Club, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, 161st, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, India, Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet

☆ Iran: Journalists who reported on Mahsa Amini's death stand trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two journalists responsible for breaking the story of Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman killed after being held in custody by Iran’s morality police last year, stood trial in an Iranian court this week. The two women separately stood trial on Monday and Tuesday in a revolutionary court presided over by notorious judge Abolghasem Salavati, according to Iranian pro-reform outlet SharghDaily. Protesters in downtown Tehran, Iran, after the death Mahsa Amini. Mohammadi, who also stood trial in a separate hearing, was arrested after reporting on Amini’s funeral in September, according to RSF and the UN. Hamedi, Mohammadi and another detained journalist, Narges Mohammadi, were awarded the prestigious 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for outstanding contribution to press freedom.

Persons: Mahsa Amini, Niloufar, Elaheh, Abolghasem Salavati, Amini, Hamedi, SharghDaily, Mohammad Hossein Ajorloo, Mohammadi, RSF, Narges Mohammadi, Guillermo Cano, ” Zainab Salbi Organizations: CNN, UN, Twitter, UNESCO, “ Locations: Kurdish, Iran, Tehran

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