The Arrest of Kashmir based journalist Irfan Mehraj - Press Statement by the Editors Guild

PRESS STATEMENT

Editors Guild of India is deeply concerned about the excessive use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against journalists, most recently, in the case of the arrest of Irfan Mehraj, a Kashmir-based journalist, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to reports, on the afternoon of March 20, Irfan was called by an investigator on his mobile phone and told to come for a few minutes to the local NIA office in Srinagar. Thereafter he was arrested and subsequently shifted to Delhi.

Irfan has been booked under the draconian UAPA. According to the NIA, Irfan was previously summoned to Delhi in a case related to "NGO terror funding" and he cooperated.

The NIA in its press note claimed he was a "close associate" of the Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez.

Irfan started his career as a journalist in 2015 and covered politics and human rights extensively. He has written for several publications about the situation in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He also runs an online publication called Wande Magazine.

Irfan Mehraj’s arrest continues a trend in Kashmir of security forces arresting journalists because of their critical reporting of the establishment. These include journalists Aasif Sultan, Sajad Gul, and Fahad Shah. The space for media freedom has progressively eroded in Kashmir.

The Guild urges the state administration to respect democratic values and stop the harassment of journalists in the name of national security.

Thanks and regards,

Seema Mustafa, President

Anant Nath, General Secretary

Shriram Pawar, Treasurer