India: Pulitzer-Winning Photojournalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo Barred From Traveling Abroad
Location: India, New DelhiDate: July 15, 2022
Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo was stopped on the way to Paris, despite holding a valid visa from France. Jammu and Kashmir Police cited restrictions imposed on Sanna and placed her name on a no-fly list.
I was not give any reason but told I would not be able to travel internationally. (2/2)
— Sanna Irshad Mattoo (@mattoosanna) July 2, 2022
On July 2, Sanna was reportedly stopped by immigrant authorities at Delhi airport while traveling to Paris for a book launch and photography exhibition that she was one of the award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020. The reason she was barred from traveling to Paris has yet to be disclosed.
The photojournalist took to her Twitter account and explained her situation. “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,” she said. She also included that the reason behind the restriction was not explained to her.
In May 2022, Sanna won the Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Photography category over her Covid-19 coverage published by Reuters. She shared the prize with another Indian photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui, who was fatally killed in Afghanistan in July 2021.
Sanna reports as a freelance photographer from Indian-occupied Kashmir, where insurgents have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.