Attacks against free speech has spiked in last four years: Activist Shabnam Hashmi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Attacks against free speech and dissent voices were prevalent in the country for long but their frequency and intensity saw a  drastic rise in the past four years, activist Shabnam Hashmi has said. She was addressing the valedictory of a national seminar on ‘agree to disagree’ organised by the State Youth Commission here on Saturday.

“Authoritarian regimes will not allow dissent voices. It is noteworthy that the attacks in the present period targeted places like the JNU where rational thinking is taught,” she said.Resistance on campuses are being curbed brutally, she said. JNU  students who protested for just causes were dubbed anti-nationals. The media too is not spared by the totalitarian government. “They buy out media houses and make the going difficult for those who do not toe their line,” she said.

RTI activists and NGOs too come  under the attack of the fascist  forces that rule the country.  Controversy over Justice Loya’s death points to the fact that the judiciary too is under threat. In her address, activist Teesta Setalvad said the only hope came from the country’s campuses during the past four years of totalitarian rule.

Rohith Vemula, Richa Singh and leaders of the JNU, all opposed  totalitarianism, she said. Commission chairperson Chintha  Jerome who presided over the  function said voices of dissent were crucial for the meaningful existence of society.