CPJ, others urge India to drop sedition investigation into journalist Mohammed Zubair

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday joined 10 other press freedom and human rights organizations in calling on Indian authorities to withdraw an October police complaint filed against award-winning journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair in Ghaziabad city of northern Uttar Pradesh state.

The complaint cites several provisions of India’s new penal code, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), in relation to Zubair’s social media post on controversial comments made by a Hindu priest. If charged and convicted of sedition, Zubair faces up to life imprisonment.

The BNS’ expanded scope encompasses electronic communication, raising concerns about its misuse to suppress free speech.

Read the full statement here.