Wong refuses to condemn India’s raids on BBC offices

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has swatted away questions about whether Australia will pressure India’s Hindu nationalist government to “take a stance” on press freedom after the government raided BBC offices and blocked a documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year. 

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday, Wong refused to address growing concerns among human rights organisations over reports of rising violence against minorities in India, and its move to ban a BBC documentary critical of Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The two-part documentary, titled India: The Modi Question, covered a newly obtained report from the British Foreign Office that claimed Modi was “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence. It was banned across India after it went to air in January. 

Last month, the BBC said in a statement that India’s Income Tax Authorities raided their offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, just weeks after India’s foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi branded the documentary a “propaganda piece”. Modi rejects accusations that he had any responsibility for the violence.

“I understand why you’re asking me that, but you wouldn’t expect me to talk about what leaders might or might not talk about,” Wong said. “What I can say to you is we are friends, we are comprehensive strategic partners and we engage on human rights issues regularly.”

When pushed, Wong went on to insist Labor is engaging with the “Indian system”. Here’s an excerpt of the transcript:

JOURNALIST: But Minister, that documentary, the BBC documentary about this incident was banned in India. Does that concern you, considering you are such strong partners, you both support the free press, is that something you’ll be pressuring India to take a stance on?

FOREIGN MINISTER: Again, I’d say to you, I’d refer to my answer to your colleague. But obviously, we have engaged with the Indian system on those issues and on other issues.

JOURNALIST: What was Australia’s reaction to the raids on the BBC last month?

FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, as I’ve said to you, we have engaged with the Indian system on those issues.

JOURNALIST: What do you mean when you say —

FOREIGN MINISTER: That’s what I mean.

JOURNALIST: What does that mean?

FOREIGN MINISTER: That’s what I mean. It’s — those are the words I’m using and I’m not going to go into those matters any further.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was similarly vague when asked at a press conference on Tuesday whether the issues would be a topic of discussion when he meets with Modi during his visit to India next week.

Albanese said the Australian government has returned to “acting like a diplomatic government should”, and that he looks forward to welcoming Modi to Australia for the Quad Leaders’ meeting later this year.

Albanese’s reluctance to criticise the Modi government comes as Labor consults with media executives pushing for greater press freedoms at home.

Earlier this week, bosses at major news publishing divisions including News Corp, Nine, Guardian Australia, the ABC, and Private Media — owners of this masthead — gathered with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus behind closed doors to make their case for stronger media protections. 

At the top of the agenda was a push to prevent police from being able to raid the offices and homes of journalists homes for “doing their jobs”, along with efforts to broaden access to court documents, get stronger protections for whistleblowers, and deliver further defamation reform.

In prepared opening remarks, Dreyfus said: “Unlike the former government which ignored not one, but two separate bipartisan committee reports, the Albanese government intends to progress press freedom and protection of press freedom.”