French scribe arrested in Srinagar for visa condition violated discharged by court
Srinagar: A court in Kashmir on Tuesday discharged French journalist Comiti Paul Edward who was arrested by the police here recently on charges of visa condition violation.
The J&K police had arrested Edward, an award-winning French TV journalist from Srinagar’s Pratap Park area on December 10 after accusing him of misusing his ‘business visa’ to make a documentary film on pellet victims and meeting separatist leaders.
He was lodged in the City’s Kothibagh Police Station but released on bail after a couple of days. Edward, a former journalist of France’s TF 1 and whose documentary on Taliban ambushes on French soldiers in Afghanistan won him prestigious Bayeux-Calvados award in 2009 had after his release alleged that he faced harassment at the hands of the police and that it was his “worst experience of life”.
He had arrived in restive Kashmir ten days before his arrest on a “business visa” which was valid till December 22 but was arrested for “he had violated visa norms and was found preparing documentary on pellet victims and interviewing separatists", a police officer had said. The police had booked him under Section 14 B of Passport act.
On Tuesday, a Special mobile magistrate-13 Finance discharged Edward discharged him. He had been released from police custody on December 12 evening, but his belongings were still with the police.
The Special Magistrate after discharging him handed him over to French embassy counsellor section head Philippe Ducornet.
Earlier, a magistrate in Srinagar had sent Edward for five day’s remand. He was, however, released on bail after the visit of the French Embassy official who met police officers here.
