Uninformed comments unhelpful: MEA on Germany's take on arrest of Mohd Zubair

While emphasising the need for upholding democratic values such as freedom of expression, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Wednesday his country is also in touch with its European Union (EU) partners regarding the matter.

A day after Germany said it is closely monitoring the case of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, arrested by Delhi Police over an “objectionable tweet” posted in 2018, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it is a “domestic issue” that is being handled by the courts.

File photo of AltNews co-founder Muhammad Zubair being taken to the courts, following his arrest by special cell of Delhi Police. (PTI)

While emphasising the need for upholding democratic values such as freedom of expression, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Wednesday his country is also in touch with its European Union (EU) partners regarding the matter. The EU has a human rights dialogue with India and freedom of expression and freedom of the press are a focus of those discussions, the spokesperson added.

A day later, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Let me emphasise that there is a judicial process underway in this case and I don’t think it would be appropriate for me, or anyone else, to comment on a case that is sub-judice. I think the independence of our judiciary is well recognised and uninformed comments are unhelpful and should be avoided.” Bagchi made the statement in response to a question on the issue during a regular news briefing.

Zubair, 33, was arrested on June 17 by the Delhi Police in a case related to an “objectionable tweet” involving a Hindu deity that he had posted in 2018. The The co-founder of the fact-checking platform was accused of hurting religious sentiments, weeks after he flagged former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial comments against Prophet Mohammed.

Sharma’s comments were widely condemned by West Asian countries, including close partners of India such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Indian government said the remarks did not reflect the official position and Sharma was removed from her position by the BJP.

Asked about Germany’s position in the case of Zubair, the German foreign ministry spokesperson said Berlin is committed to freedom of expression and freedom of press all over the world. “This is something of great importance. And that also applies to India,” he said in German.

“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 specific case and our embassy in New Delhi is monitoring it very closely. We are also in contact on this with our European Union (EU) partners on the ground,” he said.

“India describes itself as the world’s largest democracy. So, one can expect democratic values like freedom of expression and freedom of the press to be given the necessary space there,” the spokesperson added.