India
Editor arrested for reporting on prostitution ringPosted Oct 19 2009
Security agents dressed in plain clothes entered the offices of Dinamalar, a Tamil daily newspaper, Oct. 7 and arrested news editor B. Lenin. The arrest came after the daily reported that a Tamil actress had been arrested on prostitution allegations and had made a “confession” including names of other actresses involved in the sex trade.
Representatives of the South India Film Artistes Association filed a complaint under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Women Harassment [Prevention] Act after the story ran on Oct 4. Police arrested Lenin for the violation, though the paper printed an apology the next day.
According to IPI, Lenin was not provided with legal counsel, nor was he given a chance to explain his version of events. He was brought before a magistrate immediately after his arrest and was sentenced to 15 days in “judicial custody.”
Journalists gathered in Chennai, the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, to push for Lenin's release. They noted that the “proper course of action would have been to file a civil defamation case,” IPI reports. He was granted bail Oct. 7.
More Information
- International Press Institute
- Reporters Without Borders