Guwahati: The Twitter account of the media cell of Manipur’s influential tribal organisation, Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.
“ITLF, the forefront organization representing the issues of the Manipur Hill tribes, particularly the Kuki-Zo tribes, has been subjected to a shocking act of censorship. The ITLF Media Cell Twitter account, a crucial platform for raising awareness and advocating for the rights of marginalized and persecuted Kuki-Zo tribal communities, has been blocked in India,”. ITLF media and publicity secretary Ginza Vualzong said in a statement here on Saturday.
Over the past year, and especially since May 3 this year, the ITLF has been tirelessly working towards spearheading the challenges and atrocities faced by the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur from the dominant community and the state government, the leader said.
Vualzong added “Through dialogue and engagement with the central and state governments, including the esteemed Union home minister Amit Shah, the ITLF has been at the forefront of addressing the concerns of the Kuki-Zo tribes”.
The recent blocking of the ITLF media cell Twitter account, Vualzong observed, is yet another attempt to stifle the already marginalized Kuki-Zo tribal voice.
“This act comes as an addition to the already crippling 40 plus days of internet shutdown in the Manipur Hills districts, severely limiting and hampering the ability of the Kuki-Zo tribals to report on-ground daily incidents of attacks perpetrated by Meitei separatists, rampaging Meitei mobs including Meira Paibis, and radicalized groups such as Arambai Tenggol and Meetei Leepun,” Ginza also said.
By obstructing the ITLF media cell’s reach and dissemination of vital information, Vualzong said that the limited efforts to shed light on the ongoing ethnic cleansing committed against the tribals, have been “choked”.
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“This unjust censorship not only suppresses our right to freedom of expression enshrined under the United Nations treaty of 1948 on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the Indian Constitution but also undermines the democratic values that uphold the principles of equality and justice for all,” he said.
Through the statement, the ITLF strongly condemned the act of “silencing” and called upon the concerned authorities to immediately restore access to the ITLF media cell Twitter account in India.
“The ITLF also urges the international community, human rights organizations, and media outlets to take notice of this grave violation and lend their support in amplifying the voices of the oppressed Kuki-Zo tribal communities of India,” the ITLF leader added.
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