Srinagar:The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent organization that advocates for press freedom worldwide, has asked the Governor Satya Pal Malik to release journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been held by Jammu and Kashmir police since August 27, 2018, and drop all legal proceedings against him.
“Sultan, a journalist with the Kashmir Narrator, has been falsely accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His name was included in a First Information Report filed after a gunfight in Batamaloo on August 12, and he has been accused of having contact with and promoting militants. His editor and family have credibly disputed these claims and say his work was strictly that of a journalist gathering news. No charge sheet has been filed,” Steven Butler, Asia Program Coordinator CPJ said in a statement.
In July 2018, Sultan wrote a cover story for the Kashmir Narrator on militant Burhan Wani, which included interviews with non-combatant members of Hizbul Mujahideen. Police have reportedly subjected Sultan to repeated interrogation during his detention regarding the article, asking him to reveal his sources and why he reported on the conflict in Kashmir, as well as questions on headlines that appeared in the Kashmir Narratorand why he had not reported on development in the state. Police have also objected in court to his Facebook postings.
“We understand that Jammu and Kashmir is facing a difficult situation, but CPJ would like to stress that interviewing or having sources who are critical of the government is within the scope of a journalists’ job and does not implicate them in a crime. Reporting on an important and newsworthy story such as the conflict in Kashmir is a public service, not a criminal act,” CPJ statement said.
The statement said that Journalists have long operated in a dangerous environment in Kashmir, and we are extremely concerned about the climate for press freedom. “In the past year, CPJ has documented various attacks against journalists, including the murder of Shujaat Bukhari and the questioning and detention of multiple reporters for their work. Freedom of the press is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of India’s history. We urge you to use the authority vested in you as governor of Jammu and Kashmir to help immediately ensure that Aasif Sultan is released and that the charges against him are dropped.”