Dosier: Asif Sultan, Kashmiri Journalist imprisoned for his ground reporting

 

[File: Saqib Majeed/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]

On October 17, 2019, Sultan received the annual John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award by the National Press Club of America.^[6] In April 2022, Aasif was granted bail but not released, instead, he was re-arrested and booked under the Public Safety Act.

Life:

Age: 35 years 

According to his father, Aasif had got through medical college but decided to pursue journalism instead.

In fact, he also qualified for three different fields — masters in library sciences, Islamic Studies and journalism — at the University of Kashmir, but opted for journalism, his father said.

400 journalists and civil society members write a letter to the Indian prime minister demanding the immediate release of Kashmiri Journalist Aasif Sultan

Sultan is languishing at the Srinagar Central Jail, where reportedly more than 100 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report by Hilal Mir published in 2021.

Jailed Kashmiri journalist who won a US media award was arrested after Burhan Wani's profile

Sultan was imprisoned last August and is accused of aiding insurgents even though he merely reported on them…Sultan’s case reflects worsening conditions for the press and citizenry in Kashmir, a region in northern India that is partly controlled by India and partly by Pakistan,” the National Press Club said in a statement, also criticizing the “communications blackout” imposed in Kashmir by the Modi government.

The police claim Aasif was harboring militants at his residence. They also claimed to have found a letterhead belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen at his home. (Print.in)

Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan kept in jail for more than 1,000 days

Highlights

Sultan’s family and the editor of Kashmir Narrator, the magazine categorically state that he was arrested for his journalistic work, particularly for a story titled The Rise of Burhan, which he wrote for his magazine in July 2018.

In the 4,000-word profile of the slain Kashmiri youth leader, "Sultan wrote why the 22-year-old rebel leader Burhan Wani had proved to be more dangerous for India in his grave than in his living room”.

Police claim to have found incriminating material from his home, an iPhone, and his MacBook which according to police has been sent for forensic analysis. But two-and-a-half years have passed since but that forensic report hasn’t come yet.

Charges Against Sultan 

Sultan has been charged with 302 [murder], 307 [attempt to murder], and 326 [voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons]. 

Under the UAPA, Sultan is accused of “harboring terrorists” and conspiracy against the state by giving assistance to rebels.

Lawyer's Arguments

the'Sultan’s lawyer Adil Abdullah Pandit says his client was not present at the site of the gunfight, a fact “admitted by the prosecution” and describes the police case as “purely fabricated”.  "These three offenses cannot be made out against Sultan,” Pandit told Al Jazeera.'

Talking to AlJazeera, Pundit says, “There is no evidence on record which could prove that Aasif Sultan has provided any assistance or logistic support to the militants or he harbored any militant.”

Police Officer saying Sultan was writing against the   Indian state

GV Sundeep Chakravarthi, currently the senior superintendent of police in the frontier Kupwara district, was posted in Srinagar when the gunfight happened. He was the investigating officer in Sultan’s case.

Days after Sultan’s arrest, Chakravarthi told the Indian news website Scroll.in that the journalist was “writing against uniformed forces”.

US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded 

In a statement on May 23, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a United States-based non-profit committed to promote press freedom and defend the rights of journalists, demanded an immediate release of Sultan from jail.