New Delhi: Kashmiri journalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo, who was prevented from flying to the United States by Indian authorities to collect her Pulitzer Prize, told media that she is “heartbroken”. It was the second time the photographer was stopped from flying out of the country in less than six months.
Earlier, Indian authorities have prevented an award-winning photographer Sanna Irshad Mattoo from flying to US to collect her Pulitzer Prize for documenting life in IIOJK.
She was stopped by immigration authorities at New Delhi airport and prevented from boarding while two of her colleagues were permitted to leave the country.
She later tweeted a picture of her ticket that was stamped “cancelled without prejudice”. Mattoo said, “I don’t know what to say … this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. This was the second time this year that Mattoo was prevented from leaving India.
In July, she was stopped in a similar manner at the same airport while on her way to Paris for a book launch and photography exhibition. Amnesty International has described the travel ban on Pulitzer Prize-winning Kashmiri photojournalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo as ‘witch-hunt.
Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair, said: “Arbitrary travel bans have increasingly become the principal tactic of the Indian authorities to silence independent and critical voices in the country. “The Indian authorities must lift all arbitrary travel bans, stop this unlawful practice and live up to their human rights obligations by respecting, protecting, promoting and fulfilling the human rights of everyone, including to freedom of expression and movement.” Since 2019, Amnesty has documented the cases of at least six Kashmiri journalists, human rights activists, academics and politicians – including Gowhar Geelani, Shah Faesal, Bilal Bashir, Zahid Rafiq, Sanna Mattoo and Aakash Hassan – who have been barred from travelling outside India without lawful justification.
US State Department official Vedant Patel said, US is aware of reports of Pulitzer-winning Kashmiri journalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo being prevented from travelling to the country.
The travel bans are part of a systematic pattern of harassment against Kashmiri journalists who have increasingly faced arbitrary arrest, frivolous cases, threats, physical attacks and raids since August 2019. Julie Posetti, Vice-President of Global Research at the International Center for Journalists said, “Restricting freedom of movement is another tool of repression and harassment being used against independent journalists in India – especially those from minority religious and ethnic groups, and those reporting from Kashmir.” It is yet another step in India’s descent towards a state of total authoritarianism. Web Desk
