The Federal Foreign Office of Germany made some strong remarks regarding press freedom in India and the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, according to a video shared on Twitter by Richard Walker, chief international editor at Deutsche Welle, on Wednesday, 6 July.
"Free reporting is beneficial to any society," a spokesperson said. "And restrictions are a cause of concern. Journalists should not be persecuted and imprisoned for what they say and write."
He then went on to say, "and that also applies to India."
"India describes itself as the world’s largest democracy. So one can expect democratic values like freedom of expression and of the press to be given the necessary space there."
The spokesperson said that the German embassy in New Delhi is monitoring the cases against the Zubair "very closely."
Walker then asked why Germany did not seem to be too enthusiastic about the specific arrest of Mohammed Zubair.
"Germany is often very precise in criticising countries where journalistic freedom is impaired," he added in his question to the spokesperson, who smiled and replied, "I would not say that I was not precise in my criticism."
He added that Germany was in touch with its EU partners about Zubair's case and press freedom in India.
Zubair was arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a tweet he posted in 2018.
In the latest development, he has moved the Supreme Court for bail, citing death threats.
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