Hong Kong CNN —A Kashmir journalist who was arrested under India’s sedition and anti-terror laws has returned home Thursday after being released on bail following nearly two years behind bars. Critics say Shah’s case highlights declining press freedoms in the contested region. Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, the mountainous Kashmir region has been at the epicenter of an often-violent territorial struggle between the nuclear-armed neighbors for more than 70 years. On Monday, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court ordered his release and quashed some of the charges, according to a court document seen by CNN. “The arrest of Fahad Shah shows Jammu and Kashmir authorities’ utter disregard for press freedom and the fundamental right of journalists to report freely and safely,” said Steven Butler, Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia program, at the time.

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