The leaders of the National Press Club of United States have urged the government of India to release from prison Aasif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist who has been ‘unjustly’ detained for two and a half years.
In a statement, the media body said, “Sultan, a writer for the Kashmir Narrator, was arrested in August 2018 on an unwarranted charge of harboring militants, although all he had done was interview and write about them.”
Adding that since he was imprisoned, almost all of his scheduled court dates in his trial have been postponed, ” His fate remains uncertain. He is at risk of contracting COVID-19 in crowded prison conditions. His father has a heart condition, and his entire family is distraught.”
The communique further states that Sultan’s next court date is set for 26 Feb. As that date nears, National Press Club President Lisa Nicole Matthews and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane issued the following statement:
“The National Press Club recognized Aasif Sultan with a 2019 John Aubuchon Press Freedom honor, singling him out among the world’s many journalists under duress, because his mistreatment was so egregious and because he was one of many journalists and citizens whose rights were abused in Kashmir.”
“Mr. Sultan remains in prison, and that is simply wrong. All he did was his job. On behalf of journalists everywhere, we say: it is past time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do what is necessary to allow Mr. Sultan to rejoin his family.”
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.
The National Press Club Journalism Institute, the Club’s non-profit affiliate, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.