On the World Press Freedom Day, Kashmir Working Journalist Association (KWJA) has joined in calls from local and international journalist bodies for release of incarcerated Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan.
Aasif is currently detained at the Central Jail in Srinagar.A statement issued by KWJA, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, saidthat “Aasif’s continued incarceration reflects the stifled voice of thepress freedom in Kashmir, where media has been cowed down by threats and intimidationby the state.”
“The state in Kashmir has been tightening its grip onthe news narrative and reining in journalists from reporting objectively. Thestate has taken to several other recourses to cow down Kashmir’s mediacommunity into submission, in which it has largely succeeded. These include thesummoning of journalists, pressures on news organisations, withdrawing ofgovernment advertisements. Journalists in Kashmir are living in fear ofintimidation, arrests, and questioning by local police as well of the NationalInvestigation Agency, badly limiting their activities,” the statementsaid. “KWJA condemns the repressive measures thestate is resorting to, every now and then, to stifle the voices and working ofjournalists in Kashmir. It also renews its call for the unconditional releaseof Aasif Sultan,” the statement added.