Srinagar: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday issued a statement expressing concern over the re-arrest of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, just two days after his release from more than five years of arbitrary detention. The CPJ calls on authorities to cease what it deems as harassment against Sultan in retaliation for his journalistic work.
Aasif Sultan was released from jail in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on February 27, marking the end of his prolonged and arbitrary detention. On February 29, he arrived at his home in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, after a journey of 1,500 km. However, his brief freedom was abruptly cut short, the CPJ said in the statement.
It further said that the sources revealed that Sultan responded to a summon later that day to appear at Srinagar’s Rainawari Police Station for questioning on an unrelated matter. It was at this point that he was re-arrested, alongside his advocate Adil Pandit. The legal representative had spoken with CPJ, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Sultan's latest arrest.
"On March 1, Sultan was produced before a local court in Srinagar where the court ordered his custody to be extended pending investigation until March 5. Pandit, representing Sultan, expressed his intention to apply for bail on behalf of his client." Sultan, an assistant editor with the now-defunct monthly magazine Kashmir Narrator, was arrested in August 2018 on charges of “harbouring known militants.” The case faced procedural delays and evidentiary irregularities, with the CPJ and its partner organisations advocating for Sultan’s release. The journalist had attracted attention after publishing a cover story on slain Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani the previous month.
In the statement, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s programme director, voiced his concerns, stating, "The re-arrest of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan on old charges, days after his release from five and a half years of arbitrary detention, raises concern that he has again been targeted because of his journalism."
"Sultan’s re-arrest on February 29 is said to be linked to a 2019 police first information report regarding riots in Srinagar Central Jail where Sultan was detained at the time. Authorities filed a chargesheet against Sultan and 20 others under Sections of the penal code and the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, as per information from Pandit, who asserted Sultan’s innocence," the CPJ said.
It further said, "This marks Sultan's second re-arrest; the first occurred on April 10, 2022, under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) after he was granted bail. The law permits preventive detention for up to two years without trial. The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir quashed the PSA case on December 11, 2023, deeming Sultan’s detention “illegal and unsustainable." However, Sultan wasn't released until February 27, 2024, awaiting security clearance from the Jammu and Kashmir administration to return home.
The CPJ's call for urgent action from Indian authorities, especially the Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, RR Swain, remains unanswered while filing this report. The re-arrest of Sultan raises concerns about the state of press freedom in the region, as journalists like Sajad Gul also continue to face legal battles despite court decisions against them.
Read more: Kashmiri Journalist Asif Sultan Reunites With Family After Release From Jail
