Kashmiri delegates in Geneva seek UNHRC intervention in release of HR defenders
Geneva: Women representatives of the Kashmiri delegation in Geneva, while highlighting the plight of human rights defenders, have sought the urgent intervention of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to secure the early release of veteran activist Khurram Parvez and others booked under India’s draconian laws.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Dr Shagufta in her statement before the Council, condemned India’s reprisals against Kashmiri human rights defenders through draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
She stressed that the continued illegal detention of Khurram Parvez defies UN calls and exposes India’s contempt for the Council..
Speaking on behalf of IASPD, Ms Mehrun Nisa told the Council during the general debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms that in Kashmir, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is weaponized to silence defenders and deny them basic legal remedies.
She pointed out that UN reports and Special Procedures have repeatedly documented killings, detentions, and repression, yet India blocks scrutiny with impunity.
Participating in the debate under agenda item 5, Raja Muhammad Sajjad Khan, representing the World Muslim Congress, noted that cooperation with the UN is a legal duty, but in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir it has been criminalized.
“Human rights defenders are branded as enemies of the state, arrested on false charges, and silenced,” he said, citing the arrest of Khurram Parvez, the sealing of Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), and the harassment of advocates such as Parvez Imroz and Parveena Ahangar as part of a systematic campaign to crush dissent.
He further noted that journalists are muzzled, and even peaceful protesters face bullets—as witnessed on 24 September in Ladakh, where four people were killed and over 70 injured. “This is not only repression but a direct assault on the UN human rights system,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, prominent Hurriyat leader Altaf Hussain Wani in a statement expressed profound gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his unwavering and consistent support to the just cause of Kashmiris and for raising the dispute at global forums.
Terming President Erdoğan’s speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly as a source of inspiration for the struggling people of Kashmir, he said it has rekindled hope among millions who have long felt abandoned by the world community.
“President Erdoğan’s statement at the UN General Assembly was a true reflection of the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” Wani wrote on his Twitter handle.
“His reference to Kashmir is a statement of fact that peace, stability, and prosperity in South Asia hinge on a just and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir conflict, which has assumed dangerous proportions due to the Indian government’s jingoistic policies and expansionist designs in the region,” Wani added.
In a separate statement, he appreciated the OIC and its member countries for reaffirming their support to the Kashmir cause.
He said the OIC’s call for an end to reckless violence in Kashmir and its demand for a resolution of the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is a great source of strength and encouragement.
