World News | Aware of reporter Mattu’s report that was barred from U.S.: State Department

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (PTI) The United States is aware of reports that Pulitzer Prize-winning Kashmiri journalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo has been barred from traveling to the country, a U.S. State Department official said.

Matu said on Tuesday she was stopped at IGI Airport in Delhi and unable to fly to the US to receive the prestigious award.

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“We are aware of reports that Ms. Matu has been barred from traveling to the United States and are closely following these developments,” U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Vedant Patel told reporters at a daily news briefing.

“We are committed to supporting press freedom. As the minister noted, a shared commitment to democratic values, including respect for press independence, is a cornerstone of the US-India relationship,” he said.

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“But I don’t have any other details to provide … we are following this closely,” Patel said in response to a question.

Freelance photojournalist Mattoo is part of the Reuters team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged Indian officials to send Mattu to the United States for the Pulitzer Prize ceremony.

“There is no reason to stop Kashmiri journalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo from travelling abroad, she has all the correct travel documents and has won a Pulitzer Prize – one of the most prestigious journalism awards – and should be prevented from travelling abroad,” said CPJ’s Asia Project. Beh Lih Yi said coordinator, in Frankfurt, Germany.

“This decision is arbitrary and excessive. Indian authorities must immediately stop all forms of harassment and intimidation of journalists covering the situation in Kashmir,” Beh said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)