Those who speak about human rights violations are themselves targeted

On August 5, 2025, it will be six years since Article 370 was revoked and Jammu and Kashmir downgraded from a state to a union territory. With the end of the special status, Kashmir became a testing ground for the implementation of the earliest and longest lockdown. From the night of August 4 itself, internet and mobile services were suspended there, which strangulated social, economic, cultural, and political life in Kashmir. The outside world was in the dark on what was happening inside Kashmir.

Concurrently, people were picked up from Kashmir and secretly sent to various jails in Uttar Pradesh. Even the families of the arrested individuals had no idea where their relatives were, whether they were in jail, and if so, in which jail. Among those arrested were also journalists from Kashmir. The government’s campaign in Kashmir on August 5 is in fact one of the largest crackdowns on press freedom and human rights in the world. That is why, even a night before coverage of the abrogation could begin, the press in Kashmir had been shut down. Throughout the night, many press offices were raided, and journalists were taken into custody. Due to the internet shutdown, the majority of media offices became non-functional.

When the situation gained international attention, the government designated a small space specifically for journalists in order to save their face. In this small space, eight computers were kept in one room, and work hours were fixed from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Entry for journalists required clearance from security checkpoints and body scanners. Who were sending what and were was subject to tight surveillance. Journalists writing critically about government policies found no space to publish their reports, and many had to self-censor in order to keep their media outlets running. In reality, it wasn’t a media center but a “media detention center” that operated not for just one or two months, but for the entire year. Several local newspapers and media houses had shut down this first year and local journalists who are important for gathering news found themselves without a job. All spaces were occupied by media controlled by security forces.

People thought this silence would last only a few days and everything would normalize afterward, but this silence imposed on the press still continues in Kashmir today.

The name of journalist Hilal meer, one of Kashmir’s best-known reporters, has recently come up in discussions. On May 1, 2025, he was summoned because of a post on social media and interrogated. His post was about an image released by the government after a major military operation. In that photo, nine houses were shown destroyed during a clash in a southern district of Kashmir, with a woman visible in front. He had written a post referring to this photo.

The photojournalist Sana Irshad Mattu, who received the “Pulitzer” award in 2022, was detained by the government while on her way to receive a second award. Even after international pressure, she was not allowed to travel. Just days later, another Kashmiri journalist, Akash Hasan, was blocked from attending a journalism event in Sri Lanka. Similarly, two more journalists were barred from traveling for their work. Also, several journalists associated with international organizations were blacklisted through email by the Indian Passport authority. At least 12 Kashmiri journalists passports were revoked without valid reasons.

Why was this done? Because the government fears that these journalists, by speaking out internationally, could highlight the human rights violations occurring in Kashmir. That is why the Indian government not only blocks Kashmiri journalists from traveling abroad, but also suppresses the entry of foreign journalists into Kashmir. Entry bans remain in place for foreign journalists wanting to report from the region.

For the past six years, in an effort to intimidate the emerging generation of journalists, people have been threatened by local police and intelligence agencies. Journalists say that since 2019, it has become very common that intelligence or police officers call them during reporting, and ask personal questions or interrogate them about their sources. This leads to self-censorship and greatly impacts journalistic work. This has created immense pressure on journalism in the region, especially in the last six years, making it nearly impossible to report on human rights issues in Kashmir.

Not only have journalists been harassed over phone calls, but many have been detained without charges under laws like UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). Writing about the situation in Kashmir or preparing reports is being considered a threat to national security. Several journalists have been imprisoned under the guise of national security. Fahad shah, who was jailed under these charges, was released on bail but his newspaper ‘the Kashmir vala’ has not restarted. According to a 2019 report by Aljazeera, at least nine journalists were imprisoned under UAPA and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act. Among them are Irfan Mehraz, Majid Haidari, and Asif Sultan some of whom are still in jail. It is also important to remember that the human rights activist, Khurram Parvez is in jail under the UAPA for the ‘crime’ of doing human rights work including authoring fact-finding reports.

A report by Free speech collective titled ‘Disappeared: Media freedom in Jammu and Kashmir 2019-24 – a status report highlights the growing threats to press freedom in the Jammu and Kashmir. it revealed that ‘in the first two years following the abrogation, more than 40 journalists in Kashmir were subjected to background checks, summons or raids.

According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, India ranks 151st out of 180 countries. While the government claims everything has normalized in Kashmir since 2019, the condition of journalists shows that nothing is normal, as those fighting for basic human rights continue to suffer.