Kashmiri Journalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo, who recently won the Pulitzer prize was allegedly stopped by immigration authorities while trying to fly to Paris despite holding a valid French visa.
According to Sanna, she was scheduled to travel to Paris for her book launch and photography exhibition, but she was stopped at the immigration desk of the Delhi International Airport without being informed of any reasons.
“I was scheduled to travel from Delhi to Paris today for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of 10 award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020. Despite procuring a French visa, I was stopped at the immigration desk at Delhi airport,” Sanna Irshad tweeted.
I was scheduled to travel from Delhi to Paris today for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of 10 award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020. Despite procuring a French visa, I was stopped at the immigration desk at Delhi airport. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/OoEdBBWNw6
— Sanna Irshad Mattoo (@mattoosanna) July 2, 2022
In another tweet, Sanna said that she was not even given a reason for “not being allowed to travel internationally.”
Sanna is a journalism postgraduate and has her work has appeared in several publications. Before winning the Pulitzer prize in Feature Photography section in May 2021, Sanna was also awarded a fellowship at the prestigious Magnum Foundation.
This is not the first time that a Kashmiri Journalist has been barred from travelling abroad. In 2019, Kashmiri Journalist Gowhar Geelani too was barred from travelling.
Several Kashmiri Journalists wishing to maintain anonymity said that they have been barred too from travelling internationally. “We do not know of any reasons for this ban. But several Kashmiri Journalists have bee barred from travelling internationally,” a Kashmir based photojournalist told The Kashmiriyat.