August 27, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister’s Office
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi-110011, India
Cc: Home Minister Amit Shah
Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Gov Manoj Sinha
Sent via email
Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined together with 397 writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates, and civil society members to urge you to immediately release journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years, as of today.
Sultan covers politics and human rights for the Kashmir Narrator, and has been unjustly detained since August 27, 2018, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, for his alleged complicity in “harboring known terrorists.”
But interviewing alleged militants or having sources who are critical of the government is within the scope of a journalist’s job and does not implicate them in any crime. Events in Kashmir are of public interest, and covering them is a public service, not a criminal act.
Sultan’s trial, which began in June 2019, has been moving slowly and he has repeatedly been denied bail. Police have reportedly interrogated him about his writing and asked him to reveal his sources.
Journalists should not face retaliation for their reporting. Press freedom is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of India’s history. We are asking you to recognize and uphold India’s commitment to press freedom under Article 19 of its constitution.
Given the recent deaths of journalists who contracted COVID-19 in government custody around the world, and the spread of COVID-19 among inmates in jails in Jammu and Kashmir, the threat to Sultan’s well-being is significant.
We call on you to follow the Supreme Court’s guidance issued on March 23 to release prisoners on parole due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and grant Aasif Sultan immediate and unconditional release.
Sincerely,
Committee to Protect Journalists
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Faisul Yaseen | Journalist | |
Faizu Bhat | Businessman | |
Faraz Ahmad | Journalist | |
Farooq Shah | Journalist | |
Farzana Yaqoob | ||
Fathima Nizaruddin | Filmmaker | |
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Felix Padel | Writer | |
Firoz Ahmad | Research Scholar | |
Flavia Agnes | Filmmaker and lawyer | MAJLIS Legal Resource Centre Mumbai |
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Geeta Seshu | Journalist | Free Speech Collective |
Geetartha Pathak | Journalist | Indian Journalists Union |
Gopi Shankar | Consultant | |
Gowhar Geelani | Author & journalist | |
Hanan Naqeeb | Journalist | |
Harini Calamur | Writer | |
Haroon Reshi | Journalist | |
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Haseeb Yousuf | Academic | |
Hibah Bhat | Student and Freelance Journalist | |
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Meena Kandasamy | Writer | |
Meena Menon | Journalist | |
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Narendra Kumar | Writer | |
Naresh Fernandes | Journalist | Scroll.in |
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Neelima Parvathi | Journalist | |
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Neha Dixit | Journalist | |
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Owais Ahmad Matoo | Businessman | |
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Paranjoy Guha Thakurta | Journalist, author, publisher and documentary film-maker | |
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Prafulla Samantara | Human rights/press freedom activist | Winner of Goldman Environmental Prize (Green Nobel) for Asia in 2017 |
Prasad Chacko | Social Worker | |
Prasanna Choudhary | Writer | |
Pratap Antony | Freelance editor | |
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Prem Ram M R | Academic | |
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Prof. Ismail K. Poonawala | Professor Emeritus of Arabic & Islamic Studies | University of California at Los Angeles |
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Rafiq Maqbool | Journalist | |
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Raihana Maqbool | Journalist | |
Raja K. Khand | Civil society member | |
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Rammanohar Reddy | Journalist | |
Ramsharan Joshi | Freelance Journalist. | |
Rana Ayyub | Journalist | |
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Rayees Ahmed Dar | Academic | |
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Riyaz Wani | Journalist | |
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Shoaib Irshad | Activist | |
Showkat A. Motta | Journalist | Kashmir Narrator |
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Shweta Damle | Activist | Platform for Social Justice |
Siama Illahi | Doctor | |
Siddharth Kalhans | Journalist | Indian Federation of Working Journalists |
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Smita Ramanathan | Independent consultant | |
Snobar farooq | Teacher | |
Sofia Juliet | Media professional | |
Sofia Karim | Architect | |
Somak Ghoshal | Journalist | |
Soumya Shankar | Journalist | |
Stezhka Natella | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
Subhash Mendhapurkar | Social Activist | |
Subrata Beura | Film Society Activist | Film Society of Bhubaneswar |
Suchitra. M | Journalist | |
Sudeep Chakravarti | Writer, Journalist | |
Sudhir Chopra | Retired | |
Sudhir Katiyar | Human rights/press freedom activist | CLRA |
Suhail Sidique | Journalist | |
Suhasini Mulay | Filmmaker/ Actor | |
Sujata Madhok | Journalist | |
Sumanta Banerjee | Writer | |
Sundeep Dougal | Journalist | |
Suraj Kamdar | Independent Researcher | |
Suvir Kaul | Professor of English | |
Sweta Singh | Academic | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University |
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Tabish Bhat | Engineer | |
Tahir Khan | University employee | |
Tanvi Mishra | Creative Director | The Caravan magazine |
Tessa Farmer | Academic | |
Umaisar Gull | Journalist | Asia News Observer |
Umer Asif | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
Usuf Chokte | Academic | |
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Vaibhav Shastry | Independent journalist | |
Venkatesh Narayanan | ||
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Victoria Schofield | Writer | |
Vimal Bhanot | Academic | Retired professor |
Vinod Dua | Journalist | |
Vinod K Jose | Executive Editor | The Caravan |
Vishakha Khanolkar | Teacher | |
Wafa Hamid | Academic | |
Yashraj Sharma | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
YSK Prerana | Interdisciplinary Researcher | |
Yuxuan He | Civil society member | |
Zaffar Quraishi | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
Zahida Qayoom Mir | Teacher | |
Zahir ud Din | Journalist | |
Zainab Rauf | Academic | |
Zeb Khan | Journalist | Kashmir Peace Forum, Netherlands |
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Zeynep Gurcan | Coalition for Women in Journalism | |
Zhong Qifen | Student | Beijing Foreign Studies University |