Asiya Andrabi’s son terms life sentence to mother ‘erasure of dissent’
New Delhi: An Indian court has awarded multiple life sentences to senior Kashmiri leader Asiya Andrabi and her associates, drawing strong reactions from family members who termed the move an attempt to silence dissenting voices.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the authorities in New Delhi handed down three consecutive life sentences to Asiya Andrabi, while Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen were each awarded one life sentence.
Reacting to the verdict, Andrabi’s son said the punishment effectively ensures that the detainees may never step outside prison or reunite with their families. He remarked that prisons are being used as a tool to render such individuals “forgotten and invisible,” urging people to continue speaking about them so their voices are not erased.
He emphasized that his message was not an appeal but a reminder of what he described as a systematic effort to suppress political dissent by incarcerating individuals for life.
Analysts say the sentencing reflects a broader pattern of harsh measures against Kashmiri political figures and activists, raising concerns over the shrinking space for dissent and civil liberties in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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