Lawfare, Summons/Notices – Journalists

In late 2010, Karnataka police charged her under the penal code with two counts of criminal intimidation of witnesses in connection with sources she interviewed in Kodagu district, Shahina said. She learned of the charges the day after the online publication of her article criticizing a police investigation into the arrest of a suspect in relation to a 2008 bomb attack. She faces up to seven years in prison on those charges, she told CPJ. 

Police added a third charge under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a counterterrorism law, according to Shahina and local news reports. The law’s vague definition of terrorism and heavy penalties leave it open to abuse, and it allows courts to detain suspects without bail, according to an analysis by Human Rights Watch.

The Karnataka High Court is considering Shahina’s appeal for anticipatory bail in the case, she said. But Shahina told CPJ that she could be detained at any time, potentially without being granted bail.