NEW YORK, Apr 23 (APP):The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged authorities in Indian occupied Kashmir on Thursday to drop police investigation against Gowhar Geelani, a freelance columnist, reiterating its call to stop harassing Kashmiri journalists and allow them to report freely.
The Srinagar police said in a press release that it had opened a probe against Geelani, a former correspondent for German public broadcaster Deutsche Well, over his posts on social media, according to CPJ, a New York-based watchdog body.
Since April 19, police have also opened investigations into the work of freelance photojournalist Masrat Zahra and The Hindu reporter, Peerzada Ashiq.
The police press release, issued on Thursday, accused Geelani of “indulging in unlawful activities” that were “prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and security of India,” It also claimed that Geelani’s posts were “glorifying terrorism.”
“Journalists are not terrorists, and police in Jammu and Kashmir must stop treating them as such,” Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ’s senior Asia correspondent, in New York, said in a statement.
“Authorities should immediately drop their investigations into Gowhar Geelani, Masrat Zahra, and Peerzada Ashiq, and allow them all to report freely and without harassment,” she said.
CPJ said it sent a text message to Jammu and Kashmir Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar seeking his comments, but he did not respond.
In September 2019, according to CPJ, the Indian government stopped Geelani from traveling to Germany for a journalist training programme.
In February 2020, Jammu and Kashmir police summoned three journalists for questioning on their social media activities, CPJ added.
