Journalist Siddique Kappan was arrested on October 2020 while on his way to report on the gang-rape case in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The Malayalam language journalist faced trials in jail, which resulted in strong statements from journalists’ bodies and human rights organizations worldwide. Despite the Supreme Court granting him bail in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case on September 9, 2022, he remained in jail for another money laundering case that was filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021.
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Kappan was finally released on Thursday, February 2nd, after a court signed the orders for his release. He walked out of jail, 850 days after his initial arrest, and a month after being granted bail in the money laundering case. After his release, Kappan stated that he would continue his fight against what he considers as “draconian laws”. He expressed that the past two years were tough but that he was never afraid.
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The UP government opposed his bail granted by the Supreme Court, alleging that he had “deep links” with the Popular Front of India, which was not a banned organization at the time of his arrest. Kappan was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act, and the UAPA.
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In conclusion, the journalist’s prolonged detention invoked widespread criticism from the journalism community and human rights organizations. After being granted bail in both the UAPA and money laundering cases, Kappan was finally released from jail and vowed to continue his fight for freedom of expression.
