[mukto-mona] Fw: INDIA: Online TV journalist arrested, accused of being Maoist courier

Received from Reporters Without Borders.
 

Mehul Kamdar

 

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Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
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----- Forwarded Message ----
From: RSF ASIA
Sent: Thursday, 13 December, 2007 7:06:36 AM
Subject: INDIA: Online TV journalist arrested, accused of being Maoist courier

Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières

13 December 2007

INDIA

Online TV journalist arrested, accused of being Maoist courier

Reporters Without Borders calls on the central government to shed light on the reasons for the arrest of Pittala Srisailam, editor of the online television station Musi TV (www.musitv.com), on 4 December in the eastern state of Andhra Pradesh. Accused of being a Maoist "courier," Srisailam was going to interview one of the leaders of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) when arrested.

Srisailam was interrogated for 30 hours before being formally placed under arrest. In the course of his transfer from Ongol prison to Nellore prison in Andhra Pradesh, he told journalists: "I was kidnapped by police and wrongly implicated as a Maoist courier. I was also tortured by the police in custody to make me confess to things I am not aware of. I have no connections whatsoever with the Maoists and was there only for an interview as a part of my job as a journalist."

His family and colleagues have met with Andhra Pradesh interior minister Jana Reddy, but nothing has so far come of the meeting. Musi TV supports separate statehood for Telangana, the northwestern half of Andhra Pradesh state. It posts videos of pro-Telangana meetings, unrest and local news on its website. The Hyderabad police recently threatened Srisailam with the "worst consequences" if he continued to work for the station.

An online petition to the Indian government calling for Srisailam's release: http://www.petitiononline.com/musitv/petition.html

-------

INDE

Un journaliste arrêté, accusé d'être un messager des maoïstes

Reporters sans frontières demande aux autorités de New Delhi de faire toute la lumière sur les motifs de l'arrestation de Pittala Srisailam, rédacteur en chef de la chaîne de télévision en ligne www.musitv.com, le 4 décembre 2007, dans l'Etat de l'Andhra Pradesh (Est). Il allait interviewer un chef du Parti communiste indien - Maoïste (PCI-m). Il est accusé d'être un "messager" des maoïstes.

Le journaliste a été détenu pendant trente heures avant d'être inculpé et écroué. Lors de son transfert de la prison d'Ongol à la prison de Nellore, dans l'Andhra Pradesh, le journaliste a déclaré à la presse : "J'ai été enlevé par la police et accusé d'être un messager des maoïstes. J'ai également été torturé lors de ma détention pour avouer des choses dont je ne connais même pas l'existence. Je n'ai absolument aucun lien avec les maoïstes, j'étais là pour faire mon travail de journaliste : une interview."

Sa famille et ses collègues ont rencontré le ministre de l'Intérieur de l'Andhra Pradesh, Jana Reddy, pour l'instant sans résultats.

Musi TV soutient l'indépendance de la région de Telangana. Il diffuse en ligne des nouvelles locales et des comptes rendus de réunions politiques et de manifestations. La police d'Hyderabad a récemment menacé Pittala Srisailam des "pires conséquences" s'il continuait de travailler pour ce média.

Une pétition adressée au gouvernement indien pour demander la libération du journaliste est disponible sur : http://www.petitiononline.com/musitv/petition.html

-- 

--
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières

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