LFK condemns lawyers’ arrests by Indian authorities in IIOJK
Islamabad, July 20 (KMS): The Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) , an international, non-violent and legal organization, has condemned the recent arrests of Kashmiri lawyers by Indian authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the LFK in a statement issued in Islamabad emphasized the urgent need for the protection of legal professionals in the occupied territory and called upon the international rights organizations to take action against the perpetrators of these human rights violations.
It criticized the arbitrary detention of prominent legal professionals, including former president of the High Court Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom, and other notable lawyers such as Nazir Ahmed Ronga, Muhammad Ashraf Butt and Advocate Mian Muzzafar. These arrests, made under the Public Safety Act (PSA), are viewed as blatant violations of human rights and attempts to silence voices advocating for the UN-guaranteed right to self-determination for Jammu and Kashmir, it added.
The LFK highlighted the draconian nature of laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA), which have been weaponized against lawyers, civil society members and journalists. This systemic oppression undermines the legal profession and threatens the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people to legal representation and advocacy, it lamented.
The LFK urged the international human rights organizations to intervene and take notice of these violations. It also appealed for global action to prevent further oppression and uphold the rights of Kashmiri legal professionals.
The forum has called upon the international community to impose sanctions against India for its ongoing human rights abuses in the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, the Bar Associations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have also condemned the arbitrary arrests of lawyers in IIOJK.
