IAMC condemns Indian government’s move to block independent Kashmiri news outlet

August 21, 2023 – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) strongly condemns the Indian government’s latest attempt to suppress press freedoms by blocking access to the prominent independent Kashmiri news outlet The Kashmir Walla.

As reported by The Kashmir Walla’s staff, the publication’s website was arbitrarily blocked by the Indian government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Kashmir Walla’s Facebook page was also taken down, and its account on X (formerly known as Twitter) was blocked “in response to a legal demand.” 

While press freedoms throughout India have been drastically curtailed under the rule of Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Muslim-majority Kashmir has been subjected to the most severe crackdowns via frequent internet blackouts, the forced shutdown of Kashmir’s only independent press club, and the arbitrary detention and interrogation of journalists under stringent anti-terror laws.

Currently, two journalists affiliated with The Kashmir Walla – founding editor Fahad Shah and contributing writer Sajad Gul – remained imprisoned under draconian laws that treat their journalism as a crime. 

“Blocking access to The Kashmir Walla is yet another way for Modi to intimidate journalists and tighten his grip on the narrative surrounding the ongoing human rights abuses in Kashmir,” said IAMC Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed. “We call upon the international community to speak out against this latest onslaught against press freedom in the region.”