Press freedom concerns follow Modi from The Hague to Oslo

The last flashpoint

The incident is the latest episode in a tour that has been overshadowed by questions about press freedom. The most serious flashpoint came a few days earlier, during Modi’s stop in The Hague. The stated goal of the visit – elevating bilateral relations to a strategic partnership anchored in trade, defense and semiconductor technology – appeared to be overshadowed by a press briefing that exposed the fragility of New Delhi’s international communications apparatus.

Before Modi arrived at the Dutch Prime Minister’s official residence, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten told local reporters that the Netherlands and other EU member states were concerned about developments in India under Modi’s BJP.

These concerns were then directly put on the record by Ashwant Nandram of The Volkskrant during the official press briefing, as detailed .

“I am a journalist for the Dutch newspaper, The Volkskrant. I have a few questions. In the Netherlands there is a tradition that after such a visit both Prime Ministers are available to ask questions. I wonder why this is not the case today. Another thing is that today, in a statement by Prime Minister Jetten, he said that the Netherlands and the European Union are concerned about freedom of the press and the rights of minorities, among them the Muslim community and small communities. I wonder what the Indian government’s response will be,” the journalist asked.

Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (West), Sibi George, in challenging the interrogator’s knowledge. “We face these kinds of questions primarily because of the lack of understanding of the person who asked the question,” he said, before returning to familiar talking points: 1.4 billion people, 900 million smartphones, skyrocketing voter turnout and a “5,000-year-old pluralist legacy.”

The strategy collapsed. Merel Thié NRC stressed that the concerns raised by Nandram were those of his Prime Minister.

“My name is Merel Thie and I work for the Dutch newspaper NRC. And as you were talking about my colleague, he was actually quoting our Prime Minister who said he was worried about minorities and press freedom in India. So, does it bother you when our Prime Minister says this?

George held on: “No, I was giving the factual position of that. So that remains the factual position. You need to have a better understanding of India to appreciate what India is.”

Thie insisted again: “So, the Prime Minister [Jetten] we should have more understanding because it’s not something we say.

George’s response seemed like a retreat: “I haven’t seen that statement. I’m referring to the question that, you know, on this topic that was raised about freedom and I think I’ve clarified what a beautiful country India is. Thank you.”

A model

The Norwegian and Dutch episodes are consistent with the communications posture that Modi has maintained throughout his more than a decade in power: no open, impromptu press conferences, at home or abroad.

The last time Modi took questions at an open bilateral press conference was during his visit to the White House in 2023. When the Biden administration announced a joint press conference, a White House official called it to Reuters a “big deal”, given that Modi avoided questions from the press.

At this 2023 conference, a The Wall Street Journal The reporter asked: “India has long prided itself on being the world’s largest democracy, but many human rights groups say your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence their critics. What steps are you and your government prepared to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to defend freedom of expression?”

Modi turned to the Constitution. Journalist Sabrina Siddiqui subsequently faced a torrent of online harassment from politicians and Hindutva supporters, severe enough that the Biden administration issued a formal condemnation.

India currently ranks 157th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders on April 30 – behind Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and Cuba, as the Norwegian journalist pointed out.

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