Aasif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist who was recently released after spending more than five years in jail, has been re-arrested under India’s anti-terror law. Sultan, who was the former editor of Kashmir Narrator magazine, was arrested in a 2019 case related to violence inside a jail in Srinagar. Despite being granted bail in a previous case where authorities failed to prove his links to armed groups, Sultan now faces indefinite detention under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The re-arrest of Sultan has sparked outrage among rights activists, who have criticized the continued use of draconian laws to harass journalists in Kashmir. Sultan’s family has denied allegations of him harbouring militants, stating that he is being targeted for his work as a journalist. The case highlights the challenges faced by journalists reporting in conflict zones, where freedom of expression is increasingly under threat.
Since the scrapping of Kashmir’s special status in 2019, authorities have intensified their crackdown on free speech, leading to the arrest of multiple journalists and activists under anti-terror laws. The use of such laws to stifle dissent has raised concerns about the erosion of press freedom in the region. Sultan’s case underscores the ongoing struggle for journalists to work freely in Kashmir, where they risk intimidation, harassment, and arrest for reporting on sensitive issues.
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