Citizens of a democracy have the right to information even during times of conflict and war. The Wire has been one of the few news news portals left over these years of state repression, that has stood firm, carrying out this responsibility ethically and courageously.

Today the Editor Siddharth Varadarajan issued a statement on the blocking of access to The Wire by the government of India.

While television channels ignite themselves with mindless jingoism and bloodthirsty rants, even irresponsibly carrying out real time coverage of operations putting lives of armed forces and civilians in danger, what has been banned? The news portal that has seriously and quietly carried out the task of purveying information and analysis, in this difficult time.

A strong statement has been issued by DIGIPUB News India Foundation, of which The Wire is a founding member, and the declared objective of which is to “help ensure the creation of a healthy and robust news ecosystem for the digital age. “

The statement reads:

DIGIPUB strongly condemns the blocking of The Wire’s website
DIGIPUB’s founding member The Wire has released a statement on Friday, May 9 stating that the access to their website has been blocked by some Internet Service Providers following government orders. One of the ISPs says the block has been done by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the IT Act, 2000.
If the Indian government has indeed blocked access to The Wire, then it is a blatant attack on press freedom. Silencing independent media doesn’t protect democracy—it weakens it.
This is a critical time for the nation and such actions impede rational thinking. The urgency and horrors of battle cannot be used as an excuse to silence independent journalism.
A free media is the best antidote to misinformation and fake news, DIGIPUB strongly condemns this attempt to suppress journalism. We demand the immediate reversal of such censorship, the orders for which have not even been made public. The Indian Government must uphold constitutional values of free speech and restore unrestricted access to independent media—democracy cannot survive in silence.

As a collective, Kafila stands in solidarity with The Wire and calls upon all democratic forces and voices to speak up against censorship, to stay calm and united for peace, and to reject and resist the bloodthirsty politics that has brought the region to the edge of catastrophe. We join our voices with other citizens of Southasia calling on both governments to de-escalate tensions, turn decisively towards diplomacy and ensure peace in the region.