Srinagar: The Journalist Federation of Kashmir has condemned the ‘arbitrary’ international travel restriction on Sanna Irshad Mattoo, a Pulitzer-winning photojournalist.
“The right to travel abroad is part of the fundamental right to dignity and personal liberty. In recent years, journalists in Kashmir have reported under extreme surveillance, summoning, detentions, and arbitrary international travel restrictions,” JFK said in a statement to The Himalayan Post.
“Many journalists have been hounded in the name of the ‘travel restriction list,’ which has never been confirmed nor denied officially,” the statement said.
Journalists in Kashmir have always worked under perilous conditions, holding up values of press freedom in the face of dangers to life and liberty, it said.
“We protest against the harassment of Ms. Mattoo and stand in solidarity with her.” The statement reads.
Ms. Mattoo was barred from boarding a flight from New Delhi to Paris on Saturday. She was travelling to the French capital to attend a photography exhibition, where she was one among the ten winners of the Serendipity Arles Grant, 2020.
