Journalists from across the world have released a joint statement demanding the Indian government to release Kashmiri journalist, Fahad Shah who was arrested on February 4, 2022 under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The statement has been issued by Mark Sappenfield, editor, The Christian Science Monitor; Ravi Agrawal, editor-in-chief, Foreign Policy; Erica Berenstein, executive producer of News and Documentary, Insider; Dave Besseling, long reads editor, South China Morning Post; D. D. Guttenplan, editor, The Nation; Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, editor, Foreign Affairs; Boyoung Lim, senior editor, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, The Guardian.
They stated that the journalist was arrested for publishing “anti-national content”. “He continues to be held in a jail in Jammu, far from family and friends, under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He is facing life imprisonment if convicted,” the statement added.
Advertisement
Fahad Shah, is the founder and editor of the online news magazine The Kashmir Walla which “elevates the voices of everyday people and stands fast against unjust laws with honest reporting. But Shah has paid a heavy price for that work,” the journalists said in their statement.
Calling for his immediate release, the journalists said that it would be of importance to the cause of free press in Kahsmir. "His arrest serves as a reminder of the need to strengthen free voices as efforts to shut them down intensify daily around the globe," they said.
