India blocks X account of Middle East Eye journalist covering India-Israel ties
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The X account of Azad Essa, a United States-based South African journalist and senior reporter with Middle East Eye, has been withheld in India following a government order issued under the Information Technology Act.
Essa said he received an email from “X Support” on February 20 stating that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to restrict access to his handle, @azadessa, within India.
“In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a blocking order from the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting citing Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, regarding your X account,” the email said, according to Essa.
The message further stated that access to the account would be withheld in India in compliance with local law, while the content would remain available in other countries. The email, which did not bear an individual signatory, informed him that he could seek legal remedy in Indian courts if he wished to challenge the order.
Essa said he was not given any specific reason for the action. “Given that much of my work focuses on India’s ties with Israel, I can only assume that the restriction is based on this work,” he said in a statement, describing the move as concerning.
He also criticised X, alleging that the platform had been complicit in restricting journalistic work despite presenting itself as a defender of free speech.
There was no immediate response from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Essa, who has reported extensively on India–Israel relations and authored the book Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel, said he had previously faced online harassment over his reporting.
The blocking of his account comes amid ongoing diplomatic engagement between India and Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently indicating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Israel in the near future.
