India's freedom of expression in crisis: Report

New Delhi, NT Bureau: India’s freedom of expression is in a ‘crisis’. The world’s largest democracy has been ranked below war-torn Palestine and restive Democratic Republic of Congo, ranking at 123, according to the Global Expression Report by Article 19.

Article 19 is an international human rights organisation to ‘defend and promote freedom of expression and information’ worldwide.

The report’s authors were particularly alarmed over the deterioration in India during the past 10 years under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, changing its classification from “restricted” to “crisis”.

As per the report, since 2014, when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, India faced a rapid decline in free expression.

The situation has even worsened significantly, with a record number of journalists facing criminal charges, arrests under terror laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA ) and Public Safety Act (PSA), along with some independent news outlets being targeted with raids over alleged “fraud or tax evasion”.

The report highlights that 39 countries of the 161 studied are ‘in crisis’, 24 are highly restricted, 25 are restricted, and 35 are less restricted and open.

The report classified that the people living in crisis-hit countries rose to 53 per cent in 2023 due to India’s fall from a highly restricted country to one in crisis. India’s expression score has plummeted 35 points since 2014.

The report stressed that the violations of freedom occur under the guise of public safety, morality, or national security.

Pertinently, the report titled ‘Crossing The Line: 18th Lok Sabha Elections and Free Speech In India’, published on May 1, has also revealed that independent journalists, academics, students, YouTubers, and ordinary citizens, have been subjected to harassment.