Chicago: Jailed Kashmiri journalist Irfan Meraj, along with Akanksha Saxena and Khalid Khan, has been honored with the 2024 Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism Awards (HRRFJ), recognizing their courageous reporting on critical issues affecting their regions.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the awards ceremony, hosted by the Indian American Muslim Council in Chicago, Illinois, celebrated outstanding contributions in human rights journalism. This year’s competition drew more than 210 entries across various categories. The trio from Deutsche Welle received the ‘Best Video Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom’ for their documentary “On Drugs – Kashmir’s Heroin Epidemic,” which highlights the severe impact of heroin addiction in Kashmir.

Additional finalists included Tej Bahadur Singh, who was noted for his examination of the Dalit community’s challenges in Gujarat, and Danish Faoq Pandit and Saptarshi Basak, who provided in-depth looks at unrest and violence in Haldwani and Manipur, respectively.

Irfan Meraj’s award comes amidst significant controversy, as he was detained by the Indian National Investigation Agency in March 2023 under severe charges while reporting in Srinagar. His detention, deemed by United Nations experts as an attempt to hinder human rights documentation in Jammu and Kashmir, highlights the risks journalists face in conflict zones.