Indian government under fire for intimidating Kashmir journalists

The Indian government is under fire for intimidating the media against the backdrop of its police charging journalists in Kashmir with ‘anti-national’ activities.

According to Press TV, tensions have been high in the region since New Delhi announced in August 2019 that it was removing the special status of the disputed Muslim-majority Kashmir and imposed a strict curfew to prevent protests.

The police on Tuesday questioned freelance photographer Masrat Zahra. She had been charged Monday under newly expanded anti-terror laws.

A police statement said her social media posts "can provoke the public to disturb law and order." She was also accused in the statement of "frequently uploading anti-national posts with criminal intention."

Peerzada Ashiq, a Kashmir-based journalist with The Hindu newspaper, was also summoned by the police after he reported that testing for the new coronavirus in the region was stopped since kits were diverted to the neighboring Hindu-majority Jammu.

He was booked Monday for spreading "fake news" and "misinformation."

Amnesty International, among other human rights groups, questioned New Delhi’s position.

“The two new First Information Reports (FIR) against journalists in Kashmir that initiate investigations against them by the police signal the authorities’ attempt to curb the right to freedom of expression. Harassment and intimidation of journalists through draconian laws... threatens the efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and creates an atmosphere of fear and reprisal," Amnesty International's Avinash Kumar said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added that the authorities in India have frequently “abused” the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the country’s principal counterterrorism law, “to target journalists and human right defenders who criticize government policies.”

The Editors Guild of India also condemned the charges leveled against Zahra and Ashiq as a "gross misuse of power" meant to "strike terror into journalists."

Reporters Without Borders called for the withdrawal of the "flimsy charges" against Zahra.

ME