Wed Feb 19 17:04:18 UTC 2025: ## J&K High Court Frees Journalist After 17 Months of Detention

**Srinagar, February 19, 2025** – The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Wednesday overturned the detention of independent journalist and television debater Majid Hyderi, who had been held under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for over 17 months. Justice V.K. Chatterjee granted the release following a plea heard by Mr. Hyderi’s advocate, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat.

Hyderi was arrested in Srinagar on September 14, 2023, and subsequently transferred to Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu, approximately 300 km away. His detention stemmed from charges of “criminal conspiracy, extortion, spreading false information, and defamation,” filed following a complaint by a fellow journalist regarding Hyderi’s writings. The PSA, which allows detention without trial for up to two years, was invoked against him.

In a separate ruling, the High Court dismissed a petition challenging the continued detention of 80-year-old advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, a former president of the High Court Bar Association, Kashmir, who remains incarcerated under the PSA since December 19, 2024. Qayoom, who has faced previous detentions linked to his association with the separatist Hurriyat, is accused of involvement in the 2020 assassination of advocate Babar Qadri, based on evidence presented by J&K Police.

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