The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Sunday condemned the arrest of Fahad Shahthe editor of “The Kashmir Walla” information portal, and demanded his speedy launch, urging the Jammu and Kashmir administration to “stop the harassment of journalists in the name of national security”.
In a press release, the editors’ physique additionally demanded the speedy launch of one other journalist, Sajad Gul, who was arrested in Kashmir final month.
The EGI famous that Shah was arrested on the “specious ground” of glorifying terrorist actions, spreading faux information and inciting the general public for making a law-and-order scenario, and stated the house for media freedom has “progressively eroded” in Kashmir.
“The guild urges the state administration to respect democratic values and stop the harassment of journalists in the name of national security,” it stated.
“The guild additionally calls for speedy launch of Fahad Shah in addition to Sajad Gul, and to make sure that FIRs below harsh penal legal guidelines, intimidatory questioning and wrongful detainment aren’t used as instruments for suppressing journalists’ rights,” it added.
The Jammu and Kashmir police arrested Shah on Friday for allegedly importing anti-national content material on social media with a “criminal intention” to impress the general public to disturb legislation and order.
The EGI famous that Shah was earlier questioned for 4 days over his reporting on “a deadly police raid” in Pulwama in late January that left 4 folks lifeless.
“The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the arrest of Fahad Shah, the editor of ‘The Kashmir Walla’, on February 4, 2022, on the specious floor of ‘glorifying terrorist actions, spreading faux information and inciting basic public for creating legislation and order scenario’, as per a police assertion publish his arrest,” it stated.
Over the previous couple of years, Shah was summoned and detained “multiple times” for his writings, the editors’ physique famous.
“This arrest is part of a larger trend in Kashmir of security forces calling journalists for questioning and often detaining them, because of their critical reporting of the establishment,” it stated.
In a separate incident, the EGI stated, journalist Gowhar Geelani has additionally been summoned by the chief Justice of the Peace of Shopian district to seem in courtroom on Monday for “acting in a manner prejudicial to public interest”.
Last month, Sajad Gul, one other journalist of “The Kashmir Walla”, was additionally arrested due to his social media posts that have been thought of objectionable by the authorities, the guild famous.
“The space for media freedom has been progressively eroded in Kashmir,” it noticed.
Last month, safety forces “abetted” some journalists “in a coup” of the Kashmir Press Club administration and “the state authorities later shut down the club completely, reverting the land back to the Estates department,” the EGI stated.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
