CAN'T SILENCE US: Massive support for Asianet News campaign for press freedom

A special campaign 'Can't Silence Us' was organized in the context of false case against Asianet News Chief Reporter Akhila Nandakumar.   

Asianet News on Friday (June 16) organised a campaign 'Can't silence Us' in response to a conspiracy case filed against our Chief Reporter Akhila Nandakumar. People from all walks of life, including cultural figures, senior journalists, and advocates for civil rights have come together in an Asianet news campaign to protest against the Kerala government and police, who are targeting journalists and media outlets.

The special campaign organised by Asianet News 'Can't Silence Us', exposed the undeclared state of emergency against the media in Kerala. 

Senior journalists with a national reputation for excellence in the media, as well as notable figures in politics, entertainment, and the arts, have spoken out against the authoritarian tendencies of the present government.

Let's have a look at the voices of opinion:

M V Shreyams Kumar (Mathrubhumi Managing Director)

Mathrubhumi Managing Director M V Shreyams Kumar made an explosive revelation that the reporters of their channel were booked in the Elattur train attack case. An FIR was filed after a month after the attack against Mathrubhumi reporters in a bid to disclose the name of the cop who leaked the travel details of the accused while being brought to Kerala. 

The reporters of the channel allegedly photographed Shahrukh Saifi, while he was being brought to Kerala from Maharashtra after his arrest. The FIR stated that when the police tried to get away, the news crew chased the vehicle in an SUV, making the police team fear for their lives.

"An attempt was made to make the reporter say that a police officer had given the information to bring the accused in the Elathur case," he said. Shreyams Kumar openly said that there was police pressure on the employees to disclose the name of that police officer. Shreyams Kumar further claimed that cyber attackers are attempting to obliterate and silence the media and journalists.

M.N. Karassery (Indian writer, Malayalam critic)

Notable writer and Malayalam critic M N Karassery said that the slogans heard during the Emergency period were 'Hold your tongue' and 'Do your work'. However, the answer to democracy was we will not be silent. The proclamation that we will speak up and continue to speak up is the defense tool provided by democracy. He said that usually what happens is some media persons have to work as per the directions of the top authorities. "Not every media follows this." However, 'will not hold the tongue' is the proclamation of democracy.

V D Satheesan (Leader of Opposition, Congress)

Opposition leader V D Satheesan responded to Asianet news during the campaign that the media hunt is continuing in Kerala. "The most recent case was a case against an Asianet News reporter based on the complaint of an accused SFI leader. Akhila Nandakumar was only reporting the news. If the news had not been covered by Akhila, the SFI leader would have left with the winning certificate. He reiterated that filing cases against media persons cannot be accepted. 

Josy Joseph (Senior Investigative journalist, author)

Senior journalist and founder of Confluence Media said that the media has a fundamental right to challenge governments in democracies. The foundation of any democracy is that right. Nobody has the authority to challenge or alter it. He stated that if they are doing this, it is time to fight against the governments, both federal and state governments, by presenting them with the evidence. From 122 points in 2010, media freedom in India has increased to 161 points today. Thus, he continued, the only way we can find fulfillment is via combat. 

Rajesh Ramachandran (Editor-in-Chief, Tribune)

Rajesh Ramachandran, editor-in-chief of "The Tribune," claimed that the Left government in Kerala is crumbling under the weight of humiliation as a result of fabricated cases and harsh measures against journalists. 

He said that in Kerala, things happen that are not done anywhere else. Mahinda Rajapaksa charged NDTV with using their coverage of the Sri Lankan civil war as LTTE propaganda. But no lawsuit was brought. There was no case, even after we brought forward the Maoist leader who vowed to assassinate Chandrababu Naidu if given the chance. The governments of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Central government did not register any complaints. 

"Comrade, your ruling be confined within the party, this is censorship," he said.

C Divakaran (CPI leader, Former Minister)

C. Divakaran, the leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a former minister, stated that using force to suppress the media is unacceptable since it undermines democracy.

"The media is important to governance. They are free to criticise the administration, point out its flaws, and make the public aware of them. They have a duty to do so. Akhila Nandakumar, an Asianet News reporter who covered the current incident, was charged with an offense. This is the land of Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai and Kesari Balakrishna Pillai. History needs to recall what they did to provoke legal action and deportation. Occasionally, cases may come up when seeking the truth," he said.

Hareesh Peradi (Malayalam actor)

Reacting to the case against Akhila Nandakumar, actor Hareesh Peradi said, "One of the four foundations of a democratic system is the media. The media is the first thing a fascist government can obliterate. If there is a conspiracy behind people who attempt to sabotage the media, it is likely because they are aware of what is coming in the future."

He added that the court system would be impacted if cases were brought against media professionals, another pillar of democracy.

Joy Mathew (Malayalam actor)

Malayalam actor Joy Mathew said that there is an effort to portray journalists as conspirators, and this should be resisted. Now that the administration has identified all critics as targets, it is attempting to restrain them. This action against the media should be fought, according to Joy Mathew.

Joy Mathew said, "The media is always the strongest opponent in any nation. The media's job is to expose the government's flaws and errors, to criticise them, to report the news in a way that forces them to remedy their errors and to call the government's attention to the issues of the people. However, it appears that the government is now seeking to restrain everyone who criticises it because they have turned into its eyes."

He added, " In that light, the conspiracy case against Asianet reporter Akhila Nandakumar is equally understandable. Very awful things do occur. We should reject this action against the media. A similar action to suppress free speech will be adopted in the future."