Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has expressed deep concern over the sentencing of Hurriyat leader Aasiya Andrabi and her associates, Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a tweet, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the sentences as a “matter of concern,” emphasizing the severity and harshness of the verdict, especially considering the years already spent in detention by the three women leaders. He called for their cases to be reviewed in accordance with \u201cdemocratic principles and on humanitarian grounds\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mirwaiz specifically highlighted the age and health of Aasiya Andrabi, urging Indian authorities to show \u201csensitivity and compassion\u201d in light of her condition. He appealed for her and her associates to be released, stressing the need for justice grounded in humanity.<\/p>\n
It is worth mentioning that a special court in Delhi on Tuesday sentenced Aasiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, while Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen were each handed 30-year prison sentences. These sentences were issued after a fabricated case was filed under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court ruling, delivered by Additional Sessions Judge ChanderJit Singh of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) court, followed arguments regarding the quantum of punishment. The three women were convicted on January 14, 2026. The NIA had sought life imprisonment for Andrabi, claiming she had “waged war against India.”<\/p>\n
Legal experts have long criticized the use of terror charges to criminalize the Kashmiris\u2019 movement for self-determination, arguing that such charges are part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent in IIOJK. In 2021, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the imprisonment of Andrabi and her associates, calling the charges against them “baseless.”<\/p>\n
Aasiya Andrabi, who founded the all-women organization Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) in 1987, which was later banned by the Indian government, was arrested by India\u2019s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in April 2018. Her husband, Qasim Faktoo, has also been imprisoned for over three decades. This case is part of a wider pattern of high-profile prosecutions of Kashmiri pro-freedom leaders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has expressed deep concern over the sentencing of Hurriyat leader Aasiya Andrabi and her associates, Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen. According to Kashmir Media Service, in a tweet, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the sentences as a “matter …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":195872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-197163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t