Press Club of India on Tuesday demands the immediate release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency under draconian UAPA in a terror funding case.
“We vehemently oppose the imposing of UAPA on media persons. The misuse of this draconian law by NIA in randomly arresting Irfan Mehraj, a journalist from Kashmir ominously points towards a violation of freedom of speech and expression,” it tweeted.
“We demand his immediate release,” it said.
Irfan is the founding editor of Wande Magazine and now works as a senior editor at TwoCircles.net. He has contributed to leading news publications like The Indian Express, Al Jazeera, Himal Southasian, DW, and TRT World.
NIA has claimed Mehraj is its first arrest in the ‘NGO-terror funding case’. Incarcerated Kashmir human rights activist Khurram Parvez is also an accused in the same case.
The case has been filed under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (inciting disaffection towards government through words, signs, etc. of Indian Penal Code and 17 (fund raising for terror activities), 18 (conspiracy to commit terror act), 22A & 22C (relating to offences committed by registered companies), 38 (offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation), 39 (supporting terrorist organisation) and 40 (raising funds for terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Many journalists, rights groups including Amnesty International, and Kashmiri politicians took to social media to raise their concerns and demand the immediate release of the Kashmiri scribe.
