In a letter addressed to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 397 writers, academics, and civil society members in calling for the release of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years. He was charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for his alleged complicity in “harboring known terrorists.”
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 27 August 2020.
Prime Minister’s Office
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi-110011, IndiaCc: Home Minister Amit Shah
Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Gov Manoj SinhaSent via emailDear Prime Minister Narendra Modi,The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined together with 397 writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates, and civil society members to urge you to immediately release journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years, as of today.Sultan covers politics and human rights for the Kashmir Narrator, and has been unjustly detained since August 27, 2018, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, for his alleged complicity in “harboring known terrorists.”
But interviewing alleged militants or having sources who are critical of the government is within the scope of a journalist’s job and does not implicate them in any crime. Events in Kashmir are of public interest, and covering them is a public service, not a criminal act.
Sultan’s trial, which began in June 2019, has been moving slowly and he has repeatedly been denied bail. Police have reportedly interrogated him about his writing and asked him to reveal his sources.
Journalists should not face retaliation for their reporting. Press freedom is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of India’s history. We are asking you to recognize and uphold India’s commitment to press freedom under Article 19 of its constitution.
Given the recent deaths of journalists who contracted COVID-19 in government custody around the world, and the spread of COVID-19 among inmates in jails in Jammu and Kashmir, the threat to Sultan’s well-being is significant.
We call on you to follow the Supreme Court’s guidance issued on March 23 to release prisoners on parole due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and grant Aasif Sultan immediate and unconditional release.
Sincerely,
Committee to Protect Journalists
| Aakar Patel | Journalist | |
| Aamir Ashraf | Journalist | |
| Aaqib Bashir | Student | |
| Abdul Jabbar | Professor and author | City College of San Francisco, California, USA |
| Abdul Motin Ostagar | Academic | Aliah University, Kolkata |
| Abhinandan Sekhri | Journalist | Newslaundry |
| Abhishek Majumdar | Theatre Director | New York University Abu Dhabi |
| Abrar Ahmed | Civil engineer | |
| Abu Zafar | Journalist | |
| Aditya Naique | Software developer | |
| Afaan Iliyas | Civil society member | |
| Ahan Penkar | Journalist | The Caravan |
| Ahmer Khan | Independent Journalist | |
| Ahrar Ronga | Business student | |
| Ajaz Ahmad | Businessman | |
| Ajeet Singh | Journalist | Asli Bharat |
| Ajit Sahi | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Akhileshwari Ramagoud | Journalist | |
| Akiba Goodwin | Civil society member | Justice for All |
| Alex D’Mello | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Alok Laddha | Academic | |
| Altaf Qadri | Journalist | |
| Amit Bhadhuri | Academic | Economist & Retired Professor |
| Amit Prakash Singh | Journalist | Delhi Union of Journalists |
| Amitav Ghosh | Writer | |
| Ammu Abraham | Activist on women’s rights and civil liberties | |
| Amrita Sunita Anand | ||
| Anand Jacob | ||
| Anand Patwardhan | Filmmaker | |
| Anant Phadke | ||
| Anara Ibrayeva | Lawyer, Kazakhstan | |
| Andrew Whitehead | Journalist and Historian | |
| Anees Zargar | Journalist | |
| Anil Eklavya | Writer | |
| Anil Mehta | Cinematographer and writer | |
| Anish Gawande | Academic | |
| Anjana Mangalagiri | Academic | Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences |
| Ankita Anand | Journalist | |
| Ankur Jaiswal | Researcher | |
| Annie Philip | Journalist | |
| Anupama Potluri | Academic | |
| Anuradha Bhasin | Journalist | Kashmir Times |
| Anuradha Sharma | Journalist | |
| Apoorvanand | Academic | |
| Arfa Khanum | Journalist | The Wire |
| Arshu John | Journalist | The Caravan |
| Arun Kumar | Academic | Retired Professor |
| Arvind Sivaramakrishnan | Academic | |
| Ashley do Rosario | Journalist | Fomento Media Pvt Ltd |
| Ashok Swain | Professor | Uppsala University |
| Ashraf Thaivalappu | Journalist | |
| Ashvin Kumar | Filmmaker/ Actor | |
| Asish Gupta | Journalist | Bureau Chief, Asomiya Pratidin, New Delhi |
| Asiya Bashir | ||
| Athira Anand | Student | |
| Auqib Javeed | Journalist | Kashmir Observer |
| Avinash Kumar | Human rights/press freedom activist | Amnesty International India |
| Awesh Tiwari | Journalist | Swaraj Express |
| Ayesha Ansari | Academic | |
| Ayesha Minhaz | Journalist | |
| Ayush Tiwari | Journalist | |
| Azhar Sheikh | Student | |
| Baghambar Pattanaik | Human rights activist | |
| Bashaarat Masood | Journalist | |
| Basharat Ahmad | Businessman | |
| Beena Sarwar | Journalist | |
| Bhanuj Kappal | Journalist | |
| Bhawna Khattar | Writer | |
| Bilal Ahmad Wani | ||
| Bilal Bashir Bhat | Journalist | Only Kashmir |
| C. J. Werleman | Journalist | |
| C. K. Nayak | Journalist | Member, Press Council of India |
| Cedric Prakash | Human Rights and Peace Activist/Writer | |
| Chandrika | Academic | |
| Chitralekha | Academic | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Christine Engone | Student | |
| Daniel John Paul Vanderlaan Roberts | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Deepak Kumar | Retired Teacher | |
| Devender Pratap | Academic | Fellow, National Council of Applied Economic Research |
| Devika Mittal | Academic | Delhi University |
| Devika Shetty | Mental health activist | |
| Dexter Filkins | Staff Writer | The New Yorker |
| Dhruva Narayan | Writer | JANAM Foundation, Patna |
| Dinesh Khanna | Photographer | |
| Dr. A. J. C. Bose | Academic | Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi |
| Dr. Irfan Hassan | Doctor | |
| Dr. Jeelani Pir | Academic | |
| Dr. Kamala Upadhyaya | Social Worker | ASOJ |
| Dr. Mohammad Reyaz | Academic | |
| Dr. Mohan Rao | Independent researcher in public health | |
| Dr. Muhammad Abdul Jabbar | Human rights/press freedom activist | Justice For All |
| Dr. Muslim Jan | Academic | |
| Dr. Nandakumar | Prof (Adjunct) of Geography | Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady |
| Dr. Nisha Biswas | Scientist | |
| Dr. Nurul Islam | Academic | |
| Dr. Prakash Louis | Academic | Indian Social Institute, New Delhi |
| Dr. Ram Puniyani | Academic | Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism |
| Dr. Ross Holder | Asia Programme Coordinator | PEN International |
| Dr. Shobha Padmakar Shinde | Academic | KBC North Maharashtra University Jalgaon |
| Dr. Siama Illahi | Doctor | |
| Dr. V. V. Krishna, FRSN | Academic | Professorial Fellow, FASS, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr. Vikas Bajpai | University teacher | |
| Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan | Journalist | Former Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission |
| Dunu Roy | Environmentalist | Hazards Centre |
| Ehsan Ahmed Sehar | Journalism | President, Rural Media Network Pakistan |
| Ershad Mahmud | Writer | Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR), Rawalakot, AJ&K |
| Fahad Shah | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
| Faisal Magray | Journalist | |
| Faisul Yaseen | Journalist | |
| Faizu Bhat | Businessman | |
| Faraz Ahmad | Journalist | |
| Farooq Shah | Journalist | |
| Farzana Yaqoob | ||
| Fathima Nizaruddin | Filmmaker | |
| Fawzan Husain | Journalist | Lens Impressions |
| Felix Padel | Writer | |
| Firoz Ahmad | Research Scholar | |
| Flavia Agnes | Filmmaker and lawyer | MAJLIS Legal Resource Centre Mumbai |
| Freny Manecksha | Independent journalist | |
| Geeta Seshu | Journalist | Free Speech Collective |
| Geetartha Pathak | Journalist | Indian Journalists Union |
| Gopi Shankar | Consultant | |
| Gowhar Geelani | Author & journalist | |
| Hanan Naqeeb | Journalist | |
| Harini Calamur | Writer | |
| Haroon Reshi | Journalist | |
| Harsh Mander | Human Rights worker and writer | |
| Haseeb Yousuf | Academic | |
| Hibah Bhat | Student and Freelance Journalist | |
| Hilal Ahmad | ||
| Hilal Shah | Engineer | |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | Management Consultant | Ahmed and Ahmed |
| Iftikhar Gilani | Journalist | |
| Imtiyaz Pandow | Journalist | |
| Inayatullah Din | Student | University of Hyderabad |
| Indira Nawagamuwa | Journalist | |
| Irfan Malik | Civil Service | |
| Irfan Mehraj | Journalist | |
| Irfan Shafi Baba | Writer | |
| Irfan Tahir | Journalist | World News Network Ltd UK |
| Ishtiaq Wani | Researcher | |
| Ismat Ara | Journalist | The Wire |
| Jacob Copeman | Academic | Edinburgh University |
| Jairaj Singh | Journalist | |
| Jallees Bashir | Engineer | |
| Jamiel Ahmad | Academic | Kashmir University |
| Jasim Rasool | Journalist | Valley Mail |
| Jawhar Sircar | Former Culture Secretary & Ex CEO, Prasar Bharati | Constitutional Conduct |
| Jayabathuri | Journalist | Tamilnadu Women Journalists Forum |
| Jesse Knutson | Academic | University of Hawaii, Manoa |
| Jisha Elizabeth | Journalist | |
| Jitendra Bhatia | Writer | Envirotech India |
| Jo Ann Cavallo | Academic | Columbia University |
| John A. Mellman | Biostatistician | |
| John Herse | Educator | |
| Josep Lluís Alay | Professor | University of Barcelona |
| Jyoti Punwani | Journalist | |
| K. P. Fabian | Academic | |
| Kaisar Ahmad Zargar | ||
| Kanthi Swaroop | Academic | |
| Karan Thapar | Journalist | |
| Kerry PC San Chirico | Academic | |
| Khalid Abdalla | Actor | |
| Khalid Bashir Gura | Journalist | Kashmir Life |
| Kiran Nazish | Journalist | Coalition for Women in Journalism |
| Kirity Roy | Human rights/press freedom activist | MASUM |
| Krish Raghav | Writer | |
| Krishna Prasad | Journalist | |
| Kumkum Roy | Academic | |
| Lalit Surjan | Journalist | The Deshbandhu |
| Lara Jesani | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Latha Jishnu | Journalist | Independent |
| Laxmi Murthy | Journalist | Free Speech Collective |
| Lenin Raghuvanshi | Human rights/press freedom activist | People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) |
| Long Houting | Journalist | |
| Lord Nazir Ahmad | ||
| Lori Dee Desgranges | Artist | |
| M Ayub Bhat | Radiation professional | |
| M.M.P. Singh | Academic | Former President, Delhi University Teachers’ Association |
| Maaz Ishaq | Student | |
| Madhu Kankaria | Writer | |
| Madhuresh Kumar | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Mahtab Alam | Journalist | |
| Malini Subramaniam | Journalist | Independent Journalist |
| Manas Joarder | Academic | |
| Mani Shankar Aiyer | Former Union Minister (India) | |
| Manisha Sethi | Academic | |
| Manjeet Kumar | Journalist | Saral Tehkikat News Paper |
| Manoj Kumar Singh | Journalist | |
| Manzoor Nowshari | Academic | KWZ, Germany |
| Mary C. Scully | Writer | |
| Maya Palit | Editor | |
| Md. Moniruzzaman | Executive Director | Aid Organization |
| Meena Kandasamy | Writer | |
| Meena Menon | Journalist | |
| Meenakshi Shedde | Journalist | |
| Meenal Baghel | Journalist | |
| Meghnad Bose | Journalist | |
| Mehjabeen S.H.Mansuri | ||
| Miguel Belen | Filmmaker/ Actor | |
| Mihir Zaveri | Journalist | President, The South Asian Journalists Association |
| Mirza Waheed | Writer | |
| Misbah Bashir | Medical student | |
| Moazum Mohammad | Journalist | |
| Mohammad Amjad Hussain | Student | Student |
| Mohammad Ashraf Ali | Human rights/press freedom activist | Right Track |
| Mohammad Ilyas Bhat | Academic | SK University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir |
| Mohammed Hanif | Writer | |
| Mohammed Mubashiruddin Khurram | Journalist, Writer, Columnist | The Siasat Daily |
| Motilal Nepali | Human rights/press freedom activist | Dalit Welfare Association |
| Mritiunjoy Mohanty | Academic | |
| Muhammad Anees | Academic | |
| Muhammed Sabith | Independent journalist (Kerala) | |
| Muhammed Shiyas N | Journalist | |
| Mukul Kesavan | Writer | |
| Musaib Ahmad | Academic | |
| Muzaffar Raina | Journalist | |
| Muzamil Bhat | Journalist | |
| Muzamil Jaleel | Journalist | |
| Muzamil Shah | Advocate | |
| Muzamil Sofi | ||
| N Ram | Journalist | The Hindu |
| Najamul Saqib | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Nalini Rajan | Academic | Asian College of Journalism |
| Namita Bhandare | Journalist | |
| Nandita Das | Filmmaker/Actor | |
| Nandita Narain | Academic | Delhi University |
| Narasimha Reddy | Academic | University of Hyderabad |
| Narendra Kumar | Writer | |
| Naresh Fernandes | Journalist | Scroll.in |
| Nasir Qadri | Advocate | Legal forum for Kashmir |
| Nayeem Rather | Journalist | |
| Neelima Parvathi | Journalist | |
| Neeta Kolhatkar | Journalist | |
| Neha Dixit | Journalist | |
| Nikhil Mangesh Wagle | Journalist | |
| Niranjan Prabhakar Takle | Journalist | |
| Nusrat Sidiq | Journalist | |
| Omar Hamilton | Writer | |
| Owais Ahmad Matoo | Businessman | |
| Owais Ahmad Zargar | Doctor | |
| P Sainath | Journalist | |
| Padmaja Shaw | Academic | Osmania University |
| Pallabi Munsi | Journalist | |
| Pamela Philipose | Journalist | The Wire.in |
| Paojel Chaoba | Journalist | The Frontier Manipur |
| Paranjoy Guha Thakurta | Journalist, author, publisher and documentary film-maker | |
| Partha Chatterjee | Professor of Anthropology | Columbia University, New York |
| Prabhat Patnaik | Professor Emeritus | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Prafulla Samantara | Human rights/press freedom activist | Winner of Goldman Environmental Prize (Green Nobel) for Asia in 2017 |
| Prasad Chacko | Social Worker | |
| Prasanna Choudhary | Writer | |
| Pratap Antony | Freelance editor | |
| Pravitha Prabhakaran | Journalist | |
| Prem Ram M R | Academic | |
| Priyanka Borpujari | Independent journalist | |
| Prof. Ismail K. Poonawala | Professor Emeritus of Arabic & Islamic Studies | University of California at Los Angeles |
| Prof. Tiplut Nongbri | Academic | Jamia Millia Islamia |
| Professor Ananta Kumar Giri | Academic | Madras Institute of Development Studies |
| Professor Lyla Mehta | Academic | |
| Professor Maitrayee Chaudhuri | Academic | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Professor Sudhir Chandra | Academic | Historian |
| Puthenpura Job | Social worker | |
| Qazi Zaid | Journalist | Free Press Kashmir |
| Qurat Mir | Pharmacist | |
| Rachel Spence | Poet, Journalist | Financial Times |
| Radhika Desai | Independent Researcher | |
| Rafiq Maqbool | Journalist | |
| Raghavan Srinivasan | Journalist | The Hindu Businessline |
| Rahil Hussain Dar | Journalist | |
| Raihana Maqbool | Journalist | |
| Raja K. Khand | Civil society member | |
| Rajender Singh Negi | Human rights/press freedom activist | PUDR |
| Rajni Bakshi | Writer | |
| Rammanohar Reddy | Journalist | |
| Ramsharan Joshi | Freelance Journalist. | |
| Rana Ayyub | Journalist | |
| Ranjan Solomon | Human rights/press freedom activist | BADAYL |
| Raqib Hameed Naik | News Director | TwoCircles.net |
| Rayan Naqash | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
| Rayees Ahmed Dar | Academic | |
| Rayees Nazir Bhat | Academic | |
| Raza Rumi | Journalist | Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College, USA |
| Ren Touga | Academic | Beijing Foreign Studies University |
| Revathi Pogadadanda | Journalist | |
| Revathi Siva Kumar | Journalist | |
| Rishi Majumder | Journalist | |
| Riyaz Wani | Journalist | |
| Rohan D’Souza | Associate Professor, Kyoto University | |
| Romi Mahajan | Writer | |
| Rosamma Thomas | Freelance journalist | |
| Rosina Nasir | Academic | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Ruhail Rafiquie | Managing director | |
| Rupa Chinai | Writer | |
| S Aayeena Qudrat | Student | |
| Saachi D’Souza | Writer | |
| Sabah Mubeen | Teacher | |
| Sabina Inderjit | Human rights/press freedom activist | Indian Journalists Union |
| Sagari Ramdas | Veterinary scientist | |
| Sagarika Ghose | Journalist | |
| Saima Malik | Student | |
| Sajjad Kargili | Social activist | |
| Salik Ahmad | Journalist | |
| Salil Tripathi | Journalist | |
| Salim Bilal | Student | |
| Salman Farooq | Student | |
| Samar Jodha | Artist | |
| Samata Biswas | Teaching | SCU |
| Samina Mishra | Filmmaker, Writer and Teacher | |
| Samit Basu | Writer | |
| Sandeep Bhushan | Journalist | |
| Sandeep Pandey | Socialist Party (India) | |
| Sandhya Gokhale | Civil society member | Forum Against Oppression of Women, PUCL |
| Sandhya Ravishankar | Journalist | |
| Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty | National Affairs Editor | The Wire, New Delhi |
| Sanjay Kak | Filmmaker & Writer | |
| Sanjoy Hazarika | Researcher/writer | |
| Sarah Mathews | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Saranga Ugalmugle | Academic | |
| Sarita Barpanda | Human rights/press freedom activist | Human Rights Activist |
| Sashi Kumar | Journalist | Asian College of Journalism |
| Satish Misra | Journalist | |
| Satyam Varma | Journalist | |
| Seema Azad | Journalist | Dastak |
| Seema Guha | Journalist | |
| Seema Kazi | Academic | |
| Sevanti Ninan | Journalist | |
| Shaheen Abdulla | Journalist | |
| Shahid Tantray | Journalist | The Caravan Magazine |
| Shalini Gera | Human rights/press freedom activist | PUCL Chhattisgarh |
| Shamshad Ali | Journalist | NewsX |
| Sheikh Javaid Ali | Academic | H A Book House Publishing House |
| Shivangi Mariam | Writer | |
| Shoaib Irshad | Activist | |
| Showkat A. Motta | Journalist | Kashmir Narrator |
| Showkat Shafi | Journalist | |
| Shweta Damle | Activist | Platform for Social Justice |
| Siama Illahi | Doctor | |
| Siddharth Kalhans | Journalist | Indian Federation of Working Journalists |
| Siddhartha Mishra | Journalist | NewsClick |
| Simeen Anjum | Civil society member | |
| Smita Ramanathan | Independent consultant | |
| Snobar farooq | Teacher | |
| Sofia Juliet | Media professional | |
| Sofia Karim | Architect | |
| Somak Ghoshal | Journalist | |
| Soumya Shankar | Journalist | |
| Stezhka Natella | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Subhash Mendhapurkar | Social Activist | |
| Subrata Beura | Film Society Activist | Film Society of Bhubaneswar |
| Suchitra. M | Journalist | |
| Sudeep Chakravarti | Writer, Journalist | |
| Sudhir Chopra | Retired | |
| Sudhir Katiyar | Human rights/press freedom activist | CLRA |
| Suhail Sidique | Journalist | |
| Suhasini Mulay | Filmmaker/ Actor | |
| Sujata Madhok | Journalist | |
| Sumanta Banerjee | Writer | |
| Sundeep Dougal | Journalist | |
| Suraj Kamdar | Independent Researcher | |
| Suvir Kaul | Professor of English | |
| Sweta Singh | Academic | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University |
| Syed Abid Ali | Academic | |
| Syed Ishfaq Altaf | Writer | |
| Syed Khalique Ahmed | Journalist | India Tomorrow |
| Syed Muhammad Rubban | Student | |
| Syed Owais Ali Andrabi | Academic | |
| Syed Showket Ali Andrabi | Businesses | |
| Tabish Bhat | Engineer | |
| Tahir Khan | University employee | |
| Tanvi Mishra | Creative Director | The Caravan magazine |
| Tessa Farmer | Academic | |
| Umaisar Gull | Journalist | Asia News Observer |
| Umer Asif | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
| Usuf Chokte | Academic | |
| V Vasantha Lakshmi | Journalist | Human Rights Forum |
| Vaibhav Shastry | Independent journalist | |
| Venkatesh Narayanan | ||
| Venkitesh Ramakrishnan | Journalist | Frontline |
| Victoria Schofield | Writer | |
| Vimal Bhanot | Academic | Retired professor |
| Vinod Dua | Journalist | |
| Vinod K Jose | Executive Editor | The Caravan |
| Vishakha Khanolkar | Teacher | |
| Wafa Hamid | Academic | |
| Yashraj Sharma | Journalist | The Kashmir Walla |
| YSK Prerana | Interdisciplinary Researcher | |
| Yuxuan He | Civil society member | |
| Zaffar Quraishi | Human rights/press freedom activist | |
| Zahida Qayoom Mir | Teacher | |
| Zahir ud Din | Journalist | |
| Zainab Rauf | Academic | |
| Zeb Khan | Journalist | Kashmir Peace Forum, Netherlands |
| Zeeshan Khan | Journalist | |
| Zeynep Gurcan | Coalition for Women in Journalism | |
| Zhong Qifen | Student | Beijing Foreign Studies University |
