Eleven international human rights organisations have united to demand the immediate withdrawal of the latest FIR filed against Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking platform Alt News. The FIR, lodged by Ghaziabad police on Nov. 27, 2024, accuses Zubair of violating provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 152, as per a report by The Wire.
The FIR stems from a social media post by Zubair in which he shared a video of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand making provocative remarks. Narsinghanand, known for incendiary speeches against Muslims, has been the subject of public outrage and protests in the past.
The complaint against Zubair was filed by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation. Tyagi alleged that Zubair’s post, which highlighted an old video of Narsinghanand, was intended to incite violence. The charges include promoting enmity, defamation, and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings under various sections of the BNS.
The letter of solidarity, signed by groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and PEN International, condemns what they describe as “continuous targeting” of Zubair by Indian authorities for his fact-checking work. The signatories argue that such actions undermine press freedom and free expression in India.
“Zubair has faced multiple cases over his social media posts and journalistic work,” the letter states, highlighting how past arrests have created a pattern of bail being granted in one case, only for a fresh FIR to be filed.