A UN expert urged India to immediately stop its campaign of persecution of Kashmiri human rights advocates following the arrest of well-known Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez on terrorism-related accusations in a second case.
A UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor has said that the arrest and incarceration of people for exercising their fundamental rights were arbitrary.
“When such abusive activities are committed, there must be accountability and remedy,” she continued.
Khurram Parvez, a 46-year-old advocate for Kashmiri human rights, has been incarcerated since last November. He was formally taken into custody by the National Investigative Agency on Wednesday after being accused of supporting “terrorism.”
Lawlor said, “Indian authorities appear to be intensifying the long-standing repression of Kashmiri civil society,” adding that the “state must respect its human rights obligations and be held accountable where it violates them”.
“Time and time again, the government has been called upon to address the fundamental issues with the country’s anti-terrorism framework and its misuse to smear and silence human rights defenders,” Lawlor said.
