IJU goes to court over internet shutdown in occupied Kashmir

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 16 September 2019

The IJU has filed an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court regarding the internet shutdown in Jammu & Kashmir. This move highlights concerns over freedom of expression and the implications for accurate journalism.

Summary

Since August 5, the Indian government has imposed a shutdown of the internet in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) have strongly condemned the shutdown as a violation of the right to information.

In protest to the ongoing shutdown, the IJU has filed an Intervention Application (IA) in the apex court, against the Anuradha Bhasin writ petition challenging the communications lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, in the Supreme Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will hear the case.

In its IA, the IJU noted that the shutdown had violated the Indian constitution which guarantees the right to freedom of expression and speech for journalists and the wider community. IJU also noted that so-called facilities extended to the journalists to file their stories by email and telephones from the Media Centre were not secure and could lead to compromising the sources of journalists.

IJU said: “The denial of accurate information through accredited press organisations reporting from the ground is especially problematic and dangerous since there have been several instances of fake and inaccurate reports being spread through social media about the ground situation in Kashmir. It is impossible to determine the genuineness and severity of the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and fake news stories in social media are exploiting and trivialising people’s legitimate concerns.”

The IFJ said: “We again, reiterate our calls to the Indian government to end the internet shutdown that has stifled the flow of information in and out of Jammu & Kashmir for over a month now. We welcome the move by IJU to take a stand for freedom of expression and the press, demanding that the rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution be respected.”— IFJ media release

KEY POINTS:

• Indian government imposed an internet shutdown in Jammu & Kashmir since August 5.
• IJU and IFJ condemn the shutdown as a violation of the right to information.
• The Supreme Court will hear IJU's application against the communications lockdown.
• Shutdown compromises journalists' sources and safety via non-secure communication methods.
• Call for the Indian government to end the internet shutdown and respect constitutional rights.