Statement by South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) India on detention of journalists in Kashmir

We are aghast at the filing of criminal cases against three Kashmiri journalists, Masarat Zahra, Ashiq Peerzada and Gowhar Geelani, and condemn such harsh steps to intimidate and harass media-persons, particularly at a time when the country is battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 20, 2020, an FIR was registered against  Peerzada Ashiq, correspondent of The Hindu, on charges of factual inaccuracies while reporting about the Shopian encounter and not carrying an official confirmation.  Masarat Zahra, a freelance photojournalist, has been accused of uploading “anti-national posts” on her facebook account and charged with “inciting youth to violence”. She has been booked under the UAPA and Section 505 of IPC.

Both the charges are preposterous. Zahra maintains that she was simply sharing her published works on her social media account. In Ashiq Peerzada’s report, if it was a case of factual inaccuracy, the police could have issued a rebuttal as is normally the case. Neither of the two cases qualify for criminal cases which appear to be attempts to curb the freedom of the press. The cases have been filed arbitrarily without hearing the journalists.

It is pertinent to point out that journalists in Kashmir are already facing many challenges because of an ongoing conflict, the lockdown and communication blockade since August 5, 2019. Ever since, while some journalists have been detained, many have been summoned and threatened, creating an overall atmosphere of fear which forbids journalists to carry on their work freely and hinders their prime duty to inform the public.

This criminalization of journalists is outrageous. We demand that the cases against these journalists be immediately dropped and the State desist from employing such intimidating ways to silence and gag the press, which is the fourth pillar of democracy.