Global rights bodies call for immediate release of Mohammad Zubair, end to harassment.

ISLAMABAD -- Amnesty International and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday called upon the Indian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of ALT News, and end their relentless harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, and activists.

'His arrest is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression, abuse of power by the authorities and sends a message that dissent is not tolerated in the country,' Aakar Patel, chair of board for Amnesty International India, said in a press statement.

Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of ALT News, an independent fact-checking website was arrested by the Delhi Police late on Monday night for allegedly 'hurting religious sentiments' and 'promoting enmity' with his satirical tweets criticizing the rising censorship and calling out discrimination against minorities during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pratik Sinha, another co-founder of ALT News who was present at the police station with him tweeted...