The United Nations have sought release of Kashmir human rights activist Khurram Parvez, who was arrested on 22nd November by NIA under sections of the IPC and the UAPA, as well as demanding a probe into recent Hyderpora civilian killings.
“We are deeply concerned at the arrest of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez’ under Indian counter-terrorism legislation, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA),” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Rupert Colville said in a statement issued on Monday.
Parvez, who has now been in custody for more than a week, is accused of terrorism-related offences. “We are unaware of the factual basis of the charges. He is known as a tireless advocate for families of the disappeared and has been targeted before for his human rights work. In 2016, he was detained under another controversial law, the Public Safety Act, for two and a half months after being prevented from travelling to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. He was released after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court declared his detention illegal,” Colville said
Calls To Amend UAPA
UN said the UAPA empowers the authorities to designate individuals and organizations as terrorists based on imprecise criteria, contains a vague and overly broad definition of ‘terrorist act’, allows people to be held in lengthy pre-trial detention and makes securing bail very difficult.
“It raises serious concerns relating to the right of presumption of innocence along with other due process and fair trial rights. The Act is also increasingly being used to stifle the work of human rights defenders, journalists and other critics in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India,” the statement said.
“We reiterate our calls for the UAPA to be amended to bring it into line with international human rights law and standards, and urge the authorities, pending the law’s amendment, to refrain from using this or other laws unduly restricting freedom of expression in cases involving civil society, media, and human rights defenders,” it added.
Concerns Over Civilian Killings
The UN Human Rights Office also expressed alarm over “the rise in killings of civilians, including members of religious minorities, by armed groups” in Kashmir this year.
“Civilians have been killed by security forces in the course of counter-terrorism operations, and their bodies on occasion disposed in secret. One of these incidents happened on 15 November when four people were killed in a reported gunfight in Srinagar’s Hyderpora area, including two civilians,” it said
There should be prompt, thorough, transparent, independent and effective investigations into all killings of civilians, and families should be allowed to mourn their loved ones and seek justice, it added.
“We call on the security forces and armed groups to exercise restraint, and to ensure that the rise in tensions in Jammu and Kashmir in recent weeks does not lead to further violence against the civilian population,” it said.