Belgian freelance photojournalist Simon Clément is allowed to leave the prison in India where he was detained for 17 days for suspected breach of the arms legislation. He is free on bail, reported investigative news site Apache on Friday.
The 29-year-old Clément left Belgium on 16 February for a photo report in Myanmar. Via stopovers in Istanbul, Mumbai and Calcutta, he reached Mizoram, a state of India. From the capital Aizawl, he crossed the Myanmar border by bus for his reportage. Clément spent two weeks in rebel-held territory in the Chin State.
On his return, the photographer had his hand luggage checked at Lengpui Airport in Aizawl on 5 March. In it was an empty bullet casing, meant as a keepsake. For Indian authorities, it prompted an arrest for possession of alleged ammunition.
During the Indian authorities’ investigation, it emerged that Clément did not have valid visas. He had entered India on a tourist visa, but according to the police, it should have been a journalist visa. The photographer was questioned for days by police and members of the secret service.
Clément told Apache, with which he has worked in the past, that he is free on bail. The bail amounts to 50,000 rupees – about 535 euros. The freelance journalist will not be allowed to leave the country until the end of his trial at the Aizawl court, which started on Friday.
