Demanding his “immediate
release”, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the
arrest of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan.
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| Journalist Aasif Sultan |
In a statement issued today, the IFJ
said Indian police arrested and detained the Assistant Editor of the ‘Kashmir
Narrator’ over alleged militancy crimes and held him for six days without
charge.
“The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Indian Journalist Union (IJU) in
condemning the arrest and detention of Aasif Sultan and demands his immediate
release,” the IFJ statement said.
The IFJ said Sultan is not the first
journalist in Kashmir to be arrested for ‘dubious charges of militancy’
involvement.
“Photojournalist Kamran Yousuf was
detained for more than six months before finally being released on bail in
March, 2018. Kashmir Observer daily’s Aqib Javed Hakim was also summoned to New
Delhi and interrogated on July 14 and 15 this year over an interview with a
separatist leader,” IFJ said.
The IFJ said the situation for
journalists in Kashmir remains grim with media on the edge, particularly
following the June 14 assassination of Shujaat Bukhari, the Editor of Rising
Kashmir daily, outside his office by unidentified gunmen.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony
Bellanger said: “The arrest and charge against Asif Sultan for his reporting is
deplorable and unacceptable. We demand his immediate release and urge the
Indian to critically address the deteriorating situation for media workers in
Kashmir who are increasingly being targeted for doing their job.
