UN Special Rapporteur, media bodies call for immediate release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj

Kashmiri journalist and editor Irfan Mehraj. Photo/Facebook

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, on Tuesday expressed concern at the arrest of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in Srinagar on Monday evening. Lawlor also called for his immediate release.

Lawlor tweeted: "I'm deeply concerned about Kashmiri HRD and journalist @IrfanMeraj. He was called to come to the @NIA_India office in Srinagar and arrested in a 2020 case, accused of serious offences. I call for his immediate release."

Earlier, a top press body in India, Press Club of India and Kashmir based journalist network "Journalist Federation of Kashmir" also demanded immediate release of Mehraj.

Mehraj, the agency said was a "close associate" of human rights activist, Khurram Parvez and was arrested in connection with its ongoing investigation into the "NGO terror funding case".

"Mehraj was a close associate of (human rights activist) Khurram Parvez and was working with his organisation, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS)," PTI quoted an official of the agency as having said.

The Press Club said that it opposes the "imposing of UAPA on mediapersons" and the "misuse of this draconian law by NIA in randomly arresting Irfan Mehraj". It said that Mehraj's arrest "ominously points towards a violation of freedom of speech and expression".

"We vehemently oppose the imposing of UAPA on mediapersons. The misuse of this draconian law by NIA in randomly arresting Irfan Mehraj, a journalist from Kashmir ominously points towards a violation of freedom of speech and expression. We demand his immediate release (SIC)," the Press Club Tweeted.

Mehraj is a regular contributor to several local, national and international platforms including the international broadcasters Deutsche Welle (DW), Al Jazeera and TRT. His work has also appeared in The Caravan, Himal Magazine, Brighter Kashmir and Rising Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Journalist Federation of Kashmir, a journalist network based in Kashmir advocating for press freedom also condemned Mehraj's arrest and said that the arrest "seems to be another tactic of intimidating journalists in Kashmir who have always worked under perilous conditions, holding up values of press freedom in the face of dangers to life and liberty".

The press body in a thread of tweets said: "This is not the first time journalists from Kashmir have been arrested/harassed/questioned. Summons for questioning and denial of their fundamental right to travel for professional, academic and personal reasons is part of the tactic."

Pertinently, three journalists from Kashmir, Asif Sultan, Sajad Gul and Fahad Shah, are in jail.

JFK said that it "strongly condemns the pattern of intimidation and views it as continued attacks on freedom of press in Kashmir".

Also read: Misuse of 'draconian' UAPA, says Mehbooba after NIA arrests Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj

"For a vibrant press to flourish in a society, authorities have to move beyond hollow claims of respect for press freedom and work towards a conducive environment where a journalist can report the facts on ground, express opinion on social media without fear, threat of arrest," it said.