South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) India is deeply concerned by the order of the Meghalaya High Court in a suo moto contempt proceeding initiated against “The Shillong Times” Editor Ms. Patricia Mukhim and its Publisher Ms. Shobha Chaudhury. The Court vide its order dated 08-03-2019 has held them guilty of contempt of court for publishing two stories in December 2018 relating to a court order which sought better facilities for retired judges, their spouses and children. The High Court refused to accept the unconditional apology tendered by Ms Mukhim and Ms Chaudhury and held them guilty of contempt and imposed a fine of Rs.2 lacs to be deposited within a week and also directed them to “sit in the corner of the courtroom” till the rising of the Court. The High Court further directed that “in default of payment of fine, both the contemnors will have to undergo 6 months simple imprisonment and paper so called “Shillong Times” will automatically come to an end (banned)”.

Please find here a communication dated 11 December 2018 issued to the Government of India jointly by the UN Special Rapporteurs on cultural rights; extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the right to freedom of opinion and expression; violence against women; and the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice. The communication draws the government’s attention to threats, including death threats, against Ms. Swati Chaturvedi,  a journalist and columnist at NDTV and TheWire.in.

UN Communication – Swati Chaturvedi