At least eight foreign newspaper editors have sought the Kashmiri Journalist and Editor of The Kashmir Walla, Fahad Shah’s release stating that his release is important to the cause of free press in Kashmir and that the Indian authorities must respect his standing as an independent journalist.
The joint statement was signed by Mark Sappenfield, Editor of The Christian Science Monitor, Ravi Agrawal Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy, Erica Berenstein Executive Producer of News and Documentary Insider, Dave Besseling Longreads Editor of South China Morning Post, D. D. Guttenplan Editor of The Nation, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan Editor of Foreign Affairs, Boyoung Lim Senior Editor of Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Katharine Viner Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian.
A full year has passed since Fahad Shah, editor of The Kashmir Walla newspaper and an internationally respected reporter with whom we have worked was arrested on Feb. 4, 2022, in Kashmir for publishing anti-national content, the editors said in a joint statement.
The Kashmir Walla, which Mr Shah founded, elevates the voices of everyday people and stands fast against unjust laws with honest reporting. But Mr Shah has paid a heavy price for that work, it said.
“He has been granted bail repeatedly, only to be immediately rearrested. 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 reads.
The editors said that Mr Shah’s case is a sharp reminder of the need to strengthen free voices as efforts to shut them down intensify daily around the globe.
“His release is particularly important to the cause of free press in Kashmir. We, the undersigned, call on authorities to release Mr Shah immediately and to respect his standing as an independent journalist,” it added.