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print version21 March 2023
India: Authorities must immediately release Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj
Responding to the arrest of Kashmiri journalist, Irfan Mehraj, in Srinagar by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a "terror funding case”, Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, said:
“The arrest of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj under terror charges is a travesty. The arrest is yet another instance of the long-drawn repression of human rights and the crackdown on media freedoms and civil society in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. The stifling of the rights to freedom of expression and association continues unabated in Kashmir.
“Human rights defenders such as Irfan Mehraj should be encouraged and protected, not persecuted. He must be immediately released. The repression must stop. Criminalization of legitimate human rights work is extremely alarming and the authorities must put an end to this immediately.
“Indian authorities should prioritize ending impunity for the human rights violations that human rights defenders and journalists have bravely documented and exposed, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, and ensure that human rights defenders and activists can work in a safe and enabling environment without any fear of reprisals.”
Background:
Irfan Mehraj was arrested in Srinagar by the NIA on 20 March under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
He is the founding editor of Wande Magazine and now works as a senior editor at TwoCircles.net. He has contributed to leading news publications like The Indian Express, Al Jazeera, Himal Southasian, DW and TRT World.
As per NIA’s statement, Irfan worked at Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) which was "funding terror activities”. He worked with the Kashmiri activist and human rights defender Khurram Parvez.
Previously, Amnesty International with ten other leading human rights organizations has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Khurram Parvez, who was arrested on November 22, 2021 on politically motivated terrorism and other charges. Amnesty International has also documented the intensive crackdown on journalists and human rights defenders in Kashmir, with more than 60 instances in the three years since August 2019. Amnesty International has also previously called on Indian authorities to repeal or substantially amend the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
For further information contact: press[at]amnesty.org
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The Editors Guild of India
March 22, 2023
PRESS STATEMENT
Editors Guild of India is deeply concerned about the excessive use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against journalists, most recently, in the case of the arrest of Irfan Mehraj, a Kashmir-based journalist, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to reports, on the afternoon of March 20, Irfan was called by an investigator on his mobile phone and told to come for a few minutes to the local NIA office in Srinagar. Thereafter he was arrested and subsequently shifted to Delhi.
Irfan has been booked under the draconian UAPA. According to the NIA, Irfan was previously summoned to Delhi in a case related to "NGO terror funding" and he cooperated.
The NIA in its press note claimed he was a "close associate" of the Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez.
Irfan started his career as a journalist in 2015 and covered politics and human rights extensively. He has written for several publications about the situation in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He also runs an online publication called Wande Magazine.
Irfan Mehraj’s arrest continues a trend in Kashmir of security forces arresting journalists because of their critical reporting of the establishment. These include journalists Aasif Sultan, Sajad Gul, and Fahad Shah. The space 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.
Thanks and regards,
Seema Mustafa, President
Anant Nath, General Secretary
Shriram Pawar, Treasurer
