Senior White House officials said press freedom would be among the topics discussed in June by President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in private meetings, but would not commit to specifically intervening in the case of Defense News contributor Vivek Raghuvanshi. Raghuvanshi, a journalist and freelancer for Defense News for more than three decades, was detained in mid-May by India's Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of espionage. The Indian government has released minimal information on his arrest. Sightline Media Group, which owns Defense News, and the National Press Club have condemned the move and called for officials to produce more information on the allegations and his ongoing detention. Modi's government has received significant criticism from human rights groups for restricting media and public protests.
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