New York, October 16, 2021 (PPI-OT):New York-based global media watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called upon the authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to release recently detained journalists Salman Shah and Suhail Dar, cease detaining and questioning journalists in relation to their work, and commit to allowing the media to operate freely and independently in the territory.
The CPJ in a statement posted on its website said since October 8, the authorities in IIOJK detained four journalists, subsequently releasing two of them, and questioned one other, according to various news reports and other people familiar with the incidents, who spoke to CPJ via phone.
The five journalists are Salman Shah, editor of Kashmir First, the online weekly magazine of the privately owned news website The Kashmiriyat; Suhail Dar, a freelance journalist contributing to the privately own news websites The Kashmiriyat and Maktoob Media, and the privately owned Urdu-language newspaper Sach News; Mukhtar Zahoor, a freelance journalist contributing to the BBC; Majid Hyderi, a freelance journalist and commentator; and Sajad Gul, a freelance journalist contributing to privately owned news websites The Kashmir Walla and Mountain Ink.
Authorities formally arrested Suhail Dar and Salman Shah on October 14, and both remain detained at Islamabad district jail, according to news reports and family members of the two journalists, who spoke to CPJ via phone. On October 14, a local magistrate ordered Shah and Dar to remain detained for two days, according to media reports.
“India needs to move quickly to improve its shameful record of harassing and detaining critical journalists in Jammu and Kashmir in a complete abandonment of India’s once-proud tradition of press freedom,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “Police must immediately release Salman Shah and Suhail Dar and allow journalists to do their jobs without fear of reprisal,” he added.
Steven Butler said that on the evening of October 8, authorities summoned Dar to the Sadder police station in Kashmir’s Islamabad (Anantnag) district for questioning before detaining him, according to news reports and Dar’s brother, Tariq Dar, who spoke to CPJ via phone. Tariq Dar told CPJ that the police had not informed the family of any reasons for his brother’s detention.
CPJ’s Asia program coordinator said that separately, at approximately 7:00 p.m. on October 12, officers with the Sherbagh police station in Islamabad district detained Shah from his home in the Sheerpora area of the district for questioning, according to The Kashmir Walla and his brother Imran Shah, who spoke to CPJ via phone. Imran Shah said that his family had not been informed of any police investigation into Shah until his formal arrest.
Both journalists have been accused of violating two sections of the Indian penal code, pertaining to “knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse” and abetment, according to The Kashmir Walla, citing unnamed sources, and another person familiar with the cases, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal by authorities.
“Knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse” can carry a prison sentence up to six months and an unspecified fine, according to the law, which specifies that abetment of an offense can carry the same punishment as the offense itself,” Steven Butler added.
Tariq Dar and Imran Shah told the CPJ that they have not received a copy of a police report detailing the accusations against Dar and Shah.
Masarrat Mir, the station house officer of the Sadder police station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Dar’s ongoing detention sent via messaging app. Majid Nadeem, the station house officer of the Sherbagh police station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Shah’s ongoing detention sent via messaging app.
Shah was previously detained from April 5, 2020, to May 8, 2020, on accusations of violating a section of the Indian penal code pertaining to “statements conducing to public mischief,” according to The Kashmiriyat, citing Shah and his lawyer.
Separately, at approximately 12:30 a.m. on October 13, officers with the Ram Munshi Bagh police station detained Zahoor from his home in the Dalgate area of Srinagar and confiscated his camera and his sister’s phone, according to various news reports citing Zahoor and his family.
Zahoor told media that he was detained overnight and later questioned about his location on September 1, the day the veteran Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, died in Srinagar, leading authorities to shut down the internet in the Kashmir Valley and increase security patrolling in the area. Officers also questioned him about the photos on his phone before releasing him at 2:00 p.m. later that day, Zahoor told The Kashmir Walla.
Tauseef Meer, the station house officer of the Ram Munshi Bagh police station, told The Kashmir Walla that the authorities were questioning Zahoor on the basis of an unnamed “suspicion.” Meer did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Zahoor’s detention and questioning sent via messaging app.
Separately, on October 13, the Special Operations Groupof Indian police, summoned Majid Hyderi for questioning at its headquarters in Srinagar, according to The Kashmir Walla and Hyderi, who spoke to CPJ via phone.
Upon arriving at the headquarters, Hyderi was asked to relinquish his phone, but refused to do so, and subsequently switched off his phone upon request, according to the journalist.
Hyderi told CPJ that three men in civilian clothing questioned him about his source of income and choice of profession before demanding explanation for three of his Facebook posts. Officers specifically questioned Hyderi for approximately one hour about a post in which he criticized the police’s use of force against participants of Muharram processions earlier this year, he said.
After the questioning finished at around 1:00 p.m., Hyderi was kept in lockup until his release around 5:30 p.m., he said, adding that he was not allowed to offer two prayers during the questioning and during his detention.
Iftikhar Talib, the superintendent of the Special Operations Group, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Hyderi’s questioning and detention sent via messaging app.
Separately, on October 13, officers with the Hajin police station in north Kashmir northern Bandipora district summoned Gul for questioning in relation to his news report in Mountain Ink and a video he posted on Twitter regarding a Kashmiri man who was killed in a police encounter on October 11, according to The Kashmir Walla and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via phone. Gul told CPJ that he was questioned for approximately one hour about his journalistic activities.
Zahid Malik, senior superintendent of police of Bandipora district, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Gul’s questioning sent via WhatsApp.
In February, Jammu and Kashmir police opened an investigation into Gul on accusations of taking part in an illegal demonstration against home demolitions, as CPJ documented. Gul told CPJ at the time that he denied participating in such a demonstration. Dilbag Singh, the director general of the Jammu and Kashmir police, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment on all five cases sent via messaging app.
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