The German official had said, “free reporting benefits a society and restrictions on it are a cause for concern.”
The German Foreign Ministry referred to the case of Mohammed Zubair and said “journalists should not be persecuted and imprisoned for what they say and write”.The spokesperson at the German ministry said that they are in contact with European Union partners, and freedom of press is part of discussions between the EU and India.
Earlier, at a press briefing in Berlin, the German spokesperson said in response to a question on Zubair: “We are, of course, committed to the freedom of expression and freedom of the press all over the world. This is something of great importance. And that also applies to India.”
Speaking in German, he said: “Free reporting is beneficial to any society and restrictions are a cause for concern…journalists should not be persecuted and imprisoned for what they say and write. We are indeed aware of this particular case and our embassy in New Delhi is monitoring it very closely. We are also in contact on this with our EU partners on the ground — the EU has a human rights dialogue with India, and freedom of expression and freedom of the press is a focus of those discussions”.
The German spokesperson said: “India describes itself as the world’s largest democracy. So, one can expect democratic values like freedom of expression and of the press to be given the necessary space there.”
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said that journalists should not be jailed for “what they write, what they tweet and what they say” — and it is important that people be allowed to express themselves freely without the threat of harassment.
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