Srinagar : Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists has called on governments to release all journalists from prisons including two from Kashmir.

A statement issued by by CPJ on behalf of more than 250 journalists behind bars, called for the release of the prisoners “immediately and unconditionally”.

It said that in view of the pandemic, journalists freedom was “now a matter of life and death”.

“Imprisoned journalists have no control over their surroundings, cannot choose to isolate, and are often denied necessary medical care, ” reads the CPJ statement.

The statement quoted World Health Organization saying that “People deprived of their liberty, and those living or working in enclosed environments in their close proximity, are likely to be more vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease than the general population.”
The CPJ has also signed an online petition asking for the release of the imprisoned journalists.

KR Desk