Latest news with #ThibautBruttin
The Wire
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
‘Judicial Harassment Has Reached a Critical Level for Indian Independent Media': RSF at Delhi Presser
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Media 'Judicial Harassment Has Reached a Critical Level for Indian Independent Media': RSF at Delhi Presser The Wire Staff 37 minutes ago RSF also called for the immediate release of media professionals detained for doing their job and for the abusive legal proceedings against them to be dropped. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: The organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted a decline in the media economy and worsening conditions for journalism in India. In a press conference on May 16, at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, the RSF presented a 'damning analysis' of the state of press freedom in India. RSF is the organisation which releases the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, in which India ranks 151st out of 180 countries. The RSF noted that India's progress in the 2025 Index – it is up eight places from the 2024 one – is deceptive, as its overall score has only increased marginally. Thibaut Bruttin, RSF director general, and Célia Mercier, head of the RSF's South Asia desk noted how the non-governmental organisation defines press freedom: journalists' ability to operate without security, political, legal, social, or economic constraints. Bruttin said: 'India is the world's largest democracy, and its electoral process cannot take place without a public debate grounded in facts, which are brought to light by journalists. We call on journalists to look past divisions and unite around the ideal of delivering trustworthy information that serves the public interest. There is no need to be fatalistic: RSF stands with Indian journalists in these difficult times and is ready to work with local, federal, and national authorities of goodwill to implement actions and reforms that could improve the country's ranking. RSF's presence reflects a strong commitment to engage with these issues, which are essential to Indian society.' RSF also called for the immediate release of media professionals detained for doing their job and for the abusive legal proceedings against them to be dropped. The global body called for an end to impunity for crimes committed against journalists, noting that two to three journalists have died each year over the past decade. 'A protection mechanism could be established, and investigations must prioritise looking into the victim's journalistic work as motives behind such attacks,' it said. The RSF also noted how media raids and the arrests of journalists are often carried out under the guise of anti-terrorism laws or tax regulations. 'This judicial harassment has reached a critical level for independent news media, and authorities regularly implement legislation that falls outside the proper legal framework applicable to the press,' it said. It also condemned the increasingly severe restrictions on access to reliable information in Kashmir and several northeastern states, and the challenges to accessing sources and data, which journalists need to be able to report properly. The NGO also called on the government to establish a transparent visa system for foreign journalists amid the growing obstacles faced by foreign journalists seeking to cover current events in India. Finally, RSF advocated for legislative reforms that would help limit conglomerates' growing control of traditional media outlets and provide a framework to regulate social media platforms. These reforms, according to RSF, should include exemptions for recognised press outlets identified through national accreditation mechanisms or international professional standards, such as the Journalism Trust Initiative. 'RSF is also issuing a reminder that India is a signatory to the International Partnership on Information and Democracy, an initiative launched by RSF, and calls on the government to make use of this forum for dialogue and exchange between nations,' its press release said. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Backstory | India's Media Betrayed the Country In a Time of War, Here's How How Indian Media Sabotaged its Own War Efforts X Says Modi Government Has Asked It to Block Over 8,000 Accounts in India Foreign Secretary Locks X Account After Vicious Social Media Abuse Blaming Him for Ceasefire Government Blocks X Handles of Global Times, Xinhua News and TRT World From Pakistan to the US and Europe, Here's What International Media Said on Operation Sindoor Amid Claims and Counter-Claims, Concerns over 'Escalation' Reach A New High Today Small-Town Journalists Face Higher Risk of Getting Arrested, Only 3% Protected: Study 'Anti-India', Terror and Air Guns: How the Grounds for a Kerala Journalist's Detention Have Shifted Rapidly About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
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Business Standard
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
India ranks 151st on World Press Freedom Index: Reporters Without Borders
India's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index improved to 151 among the 180 countries surveyed by Reporters Without Borders this year from 159 the previous year. Finland, Estonia and the Netherlands take up the top three positions in the index that sought responses from more than 5,000 persons from across the world to finalise the rankings. "We have surveyed 5,000 respondents across the world. It comprises a diverse set including policymakers, journalists and other stakeholders," Thibaut Bruttin, assistant director general of Reporters Without Borders, said at a press conference in Delhi. The organisation does not reveal the respondents' identity, he said and insisted that it was a diverse set representing different ideologies. India has nearly 900 privately-owned TV channels, half of which are dedicated to news. Around 1,40,000 publications are published in more than 20 languages, including some 20,000 daily newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 390 million copies, Reporters Without Borders said. The US ranks 57th on the index, slipping two positions from the previous year's ranking. Even in highly-ranked countries such as Australia (29th), Canada (21st) and Czechia (10th), media concentration is a cause for concern, Reporters Without Borders said.
Edmonton Journal
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Russian journalist who escaped house arrest in Moscow arrives in Paris
Article content 'Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022,' said the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's Paris headquarters. 'At one point, we thought she might be dead.' Days after invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian authorities adopted legislation that outlawed any public expression about the war that went against the official government narrative. Barabash, 63, condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape. 'There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It's only war,' she said, decrying state censorship. Barabash said the very concept of a 'Russian journalist' no longer made sense. 'Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.' The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023, lambasting Russia's actions in Ukraine. 'So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?' one post read.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Worse than death': Journalist Ekaterina Barabash who fled house arrest in Russia resurfaces in Paris
Veteran and film critic was spotted in Paris this week after secretly fleeing house arrest in Moscow, where she faced a potential 10-year prison sentence over social media posts condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Barabash, 63, fled the country in April, helped by (RSF). The organization revealed that she removed her electronic monitoring tag and traveled more than 2,800 kilometers (some 1,700 miles) via 'secret' routes to reach France. 'Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022,' said the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's Paris headquarters. 'At one point, we thought she might be dead.' Barabash, who was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, had been arrested in February 2022 after returning from the Berlinale film festival. Russian authorities charged her with spreading 'false information' about the military and labeled her a 'foreign agent' due to Facebook posts between 2022 and 2023 that criticized Russia's war efforts. One post denounced the bombing of Ukrainian cities and the suffering inflicted on civilians. 'There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It's only war,' she said in Paris. Barabash said the very concept of a 'Russian journalist' no longer made sense. 'Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.' 'So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?' one of Barabash's posts read. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Her escape route took her through multiple borders, and she spent two weeks in hiding before arriving in France on April 26, her birthday. The most painful part, she said, was leaving behind her 96-year-old mother. 'I just understood that I'd never see her,' Barabash said, adding they both decided that not seeing her while being free was better than a Russian prison. Barabash's son and grandson remain in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. She hasn't been able to see them since the war began, saying, 'I have a Russian passport.' According to RSF, over 90 media organizations have relocated to the EU and neighboring countries since the war began. Russia, ranks 171st out of 180 in RSF's 2025 World Press Freedom Index. 'Prison in Russia is worse than death,' Barabash told the Associated Press. 'If you want to stay a journalist, you must leave.' At least 38 journalists remain imprisoned in Russia, and over 1,200 individuals have faced charges for expressing anti-war views. Of these, 389 are currently in custody, according to the human rights group OVD-Info.
