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March 20, 2026 – Kashmir/India –
Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj has now spent three years in pretrial detention, a case that rights groups say reflects the growing use of prolonged incarceration and sweeping security laws to silence independent journalism in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Mehraj, a journalist and human rights researcher from Srinagar, was arrested on March 20, 2023, by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). Authorities accused him of links to “terror funding” and unlawful activities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a law that has been widely criticized for enabling extended detention without trial. Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) say the accusations stem from his professional work documenting human rights abuses and reporting on developments in Kashmir.
According to Amnesty, Mehraj’s detention has become emblematic of what many rights advocates describe as “punishment through process,” where the legal system itself becomes the penalty. Three years after his arrest, he remains behind bars without a concluded trial, despite repeated calls for his release from international human rights and press freedom organizations.
Rights groups argue that Mehraj’s case is part of a broader crackdown on journalists, activists, and civil society figures in Kashmir, where authorities have increasingly relied on anti-terror laws to criminalize reporting and human rights documentation. RSF warned that the continued use of pretrial detention in such cases creates a chilling effect, discouraging journalists from covering politically sensitive issues or scrutinizing state actions.
Amnesty also noted that Mehraj’s detention is linked to his association with the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a rights organization known for documenting abuses in the region. Advocates say targeting individuals connected to such work reflects a wider attempt to suppress independent monitoring and reporting in Kashmir.
The case has become a prominent example of how shrinking civic space in Kashmir is affecting press freedom. International groups continue to call for Mehraj’s immediate release and for Indian authorities to end the use of prolonged detention against journalists and human rights defenders. They argue that keeping him imprisoned without trial not only harms one journalist but also sends a broader warning to others reporting from one of the region’s most heavily scrutinized and politically sensitive environments.
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