Delhi: Pulitzer awardee Kashmiri journo barred from travelling abroad, again

On July 2, Mattoo was stopped by the immigration officers from flying to Paris despite having a French visa.

Kashmiri photojournalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo who was on her way to New York to receive the prestigious Pulitzer award was stopped on Monday by immigration authorities at the Delhi International airport despite having a visa and proper travel documents.

The 28-year-old photojournalist, whose work on the COVID-19 pandemic was widely recognized, expressed her disappointment in having to go through the experience a second time.

“I was on my way to receive the Pulitzer award (@Pulitzerprizes) in New York but I was stopped at immigration at Delhi airport and barred from travelling internationally despite holding a valid US visa and ticket,” Mattoo tweeted on Tuesday.

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“Being able to attend the award ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” Mattoo tweeted.

On July 2, Mattoo was stopped by the immigration officers from flying to Paris despite having a French visa. She was on her way to a book launch and photography exhibition.

Who is Sanna Irshad Mattoo

A healthcare worker administers a dose of CoviShield, a coronavirus disease vaccine, to a shepherd during a vaccination drive in Lidderwat, located in India Kashmir’s Anantnag district, June 10, 2021. (Sanna Irshad Mattoo) [Picture: pulitzer.org]

Sanna Irshad Mattoo is a photojournalist from Srinagar, Kashmir. In May this year, she was awarded the Pulitzer for her work covering the COVID-19 crisis in India under the Feature Photography category. She shared the award with three other journalists – Amit Dave, Adnan Abidi and the late Danish Siddiqui.

She currently contributes to Reuters as a multimedia journalist.

Mattoo was Magnum Foundation’s Photography and Social Justice Fellow in 2021. She is a post-graduate in convergent journalism from the Central University of Kashmir. Her work has been published in many international publications like Al Jazeera, TIME, TRT World and South China Morning Post.

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