The internet shutdown in Kashmir entered its 107^th day yesterday. After the abrogation of Article 370, journalists and locals have been bereft of internet services which are a major means of expression for all citizens.

Retaliating against this prolonged shutdown, journalists in the Valley yesterday staged a peaceful protest at the Press Club in Srinagar demanding the government to lift the ban, The Tribune reported.

Some of the bravest and brightest journalists are in #Kashmir. Today, #Kashmiri journalists protest 100 days of no internet. We can’t even imagine the amount of threat and intimidation they have undergone; yet, they still find ways to get the story out. We salute their courage. pic.twitter.com/M0GD1lhgby

— StandWithKashmir (@standwkashmir) November 12, 2019

The Press Club Management Committee observed that for journalists in Kashmir, the communication blackout had meant minuscule access to the world and over 100 days of deprivation and humiliation and termed the restrictions as “totally unwarranted, unreasonable and aimed at gagging the Kashmir press.”

“We took out a protest against the suspension of internet services for 100 days now,” said senior journalist Pervez Bukhari. “Internet is a basic tool for journalists to discharge their professional duties and we demand its immediate restoration.”

Holding placards that read, “100 days, no internet” protesting journalists said that the current situation was very humiliating and is not even seen in a war-like situation.

In a statement, the club observed that due to the communication blockade, newspapers in Kashmir had not been able to upload their Internet editions and update their websites, which in turn had led to a drastic job cut, besides loss of online advertisement revenue.

In Jammu, the Panther’s Party took to the streets against the blockade. “In today’s times it is unimaginable to think of life without internet, we have been pushed to stone-age,” Harsh Dev Singh President Panthers party told IANS. “We demand restoration of internet across Jammu and Kashmir and will continue to protest against the ban.”

It must be noted that the government has provided only 10 computers to the hundreds of journalists at the Media Facilitation Centre and that they have to wait their turn to file stories at the same in the biting cold.

Journalists in #Kashmir protest against internetblockade. It has been 100 days since a communication blackout was enforced on Aug 5. Post paid mobile & landlines services have since been restored but not internet. The ban has immensely effected the way we work pic.twitter.com/pjaxvejb1q

— Azaan Javaid (@AzaanJavaid) November 12, 2019

Journalists in Kashmir have also protested the imposed internet curbs on earlier occasions as well. After the clampdown on August 5, many journalists were harassed, jailed and detained in a bid to prevent the ground reality and repercussions of the abrogation of Article 370 from coming to light. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) too has been filed before the Supreme Court against the restrictions imposed in Kashmir by Anuradha Bhasin.

On Wednesday Home Minister Amit Shah stated in Parliament that the issue of opening of internet will be reviewed when the local administration feels the “situation is conducive”.

Related:
Kashmir Blackout: In Conversation with Anuradha Bhasin
Journalists Condemn Press Council of India’s support to Media Gag in Kashmir
Lift the Media Gag in J & K, Editor, Greater Kashmir petitions SC

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Many newspapers in Kashmir are not being published, and a few are printing restricted editions carrying only government announcements. Last month, Kashmir Times executive editor AnuradhaBhasin filed a plea in the Supreme Court alleging that media persons were not being permitted to travel in the state, with the government’s restrictions hampering media freedom and functioning.

Some of the journalists at the protest had tied gags across their mouths, and were carrying signs that read ‘Journalism Is Not A Crime’, ‘We Are Journalists NOT Mouthpieces’, and ‘End the Communication Blockade’.

A Kashmir Press Club spokesperson told the Telegraph last week that the organisation had sent several reminders to the government for restoring Internet and mobile phone connections to newspaper offices, journalists and the club. “But an inordinate delay in restoring the communications confirms the misgivings that the government does not intend to provide an enabling atmosphere for the media to operate in the Valley,” the spokesman said.

“Journalists are handicapped and unable to get confirmation about the ground situation because of the communications blockade. The restrictions are totally unwarranted and unreasonable, aimed at gagging the Kashmir press,” the spokesman said.

There have been allegations of journalists being roughed up and harassed by security forces. Reports have emerged of journalists detained or arrested – including Irfan Malik, a reporter for the Greater Kashmir and HaziqQadri, a correspondent for the news website Brut India. A report of these arrests is available here.

In August the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a hard hitting statement on media freedom in Kashmir. “Severing all communications links is already an astounding violation of press freedom. Detaining journalists as Kashmir approaches nearly two weeks of this blackout is one more form of intimidation and obstruction of the media,” said CPJ Senior Asia Research Associate AliyaIftikhar, in New York. “India should respect its constitution and democracy, and uphold the essential value of press freedom in Kashmir and elsewhere.”

Today at the protest, the journalists reportedly free access to internet and communication. Some bare bone access through the government set up media centre, where long queues and lack of privacy are proving to be challenging, is presently available.

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