Several international media organizations have called for the release of illegally detained noted Kashmiri journalist, Fahad Shah, who, they said, is paying heavy price for elevating people’s voice in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Police in IIOJK had arrested Fahad Shah after calling him to a police station in Pulwama for questioning on February 4, last year. He was arrested after he published the narrative of the families of some fake encounter victims which was in conflict with the authorities’ version. He is currently lodged at Kot Bhalwal jail of Jammu.
The media organizations in a joint statement issued in Srinagar over the detention of Fahad Shah said, a full year has passed since Fahad Shah, editor of The Kashmir Walla newspaper and an internationally respected reporter with whom they have worked, was arrested on February 4, 2022, in Kashmir for publishing anti-India content.
“The Kashmir Walla, which Fahad Shah founded, elevates the voices of everyday people and stands fast against unjust laws with honest reporting. But Mr. Shah has paid a heavy price for that work. He has been granted bail repeatedly, only to be immediately rearrested,” the statement maintained.
He continues to be held in a jail in Jammu, far from family and friends, under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), read the statement. “Mr. Shah’s case is a sharp reminder of the need to strengthen free voices as efforts to shut them down intensify daily around the globe. His release is particularly important to the cause of free press in Kashmir,” they said.
The statement has been jointly issued by Mark Sappenfield, Editor of The Christian Science Monitor, Ravi Agrawal, Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Policy, Erica Berenstein, Executive Producer of News and Documentary of Insider, Dave Besseling, Longreads Editor of South China Morning Post, D. D. Guttenplan, Editor of The Nation, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Editor of Foreign Affairs, Boyoung Lim, Senior Editor of Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Katharine Viner, Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian.—KMS
