The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India issued the following statement today (on June 28, 2022) condemning the arrest of Alt News journalist Mohammed Zubair:

The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India condemns the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on charges of hurting religious sentiments for a tweet he posted in 2018.

He was arrested on June 27 in New Delhi. It is an irony that Zubair was arrested on the same day when India joined G-7 and four other countries to protect freedom of speech both ‘online and offline’.

The Party is of the view that his arrest is an attack on the freedom of press and the people’s right to know the facts.

The Party demands immediate release of the journalist and withdrawal of all cases against him.