Experts call India authorities to free a human rights defender in Kashmir |UN news

A group of UN Human Rights experts* asked India authorities with the immediate release of Khurram Parvez, a well -known defender of fundamental guarantees in Kashmir.

In a joint statement, the rapporteurs explained that Parvez has documented serious human rights violations in the areas of Jammu and Kashmiro administered by India, among which are forced disappearances and murders.

The activist has denounced those abuses before the UN, so he has faced reprisals, they added.

The Indian National Agency arrested Parvez last month for positions of conspiracy and terrorism.

Retaliation

The experts expressed concern because a month after the arrest, the defender of fundamental guarantees remains deprived of liberty in what seems to be a retaliation for "their legitimate activities as a defender of human rights and because he has denounced violations"

"In a context of reprisals, this and other previous ones, we urge the Indian authorities to release it immediately and to guarantee their rights to freedom and security.".

Parvez is detained in Rohini's prison complex, in Delhi, a site to which experts described as one of the most overpopulated and unhealthy prisons in the country, which represents a risk to the health and safety of the activist, above all in theCovid-19 pandemic environment.

Anti -terrorism law

The arrest occurred on November 22 by virtue of the legislation against terrorism of India "Law on the Prevention of Illicit Activities".

This regulation, in force since July 2019, allows the authorities to designate any individual as a terrorist, even if it does not belong or be associated with identified and prohibited groups.

Experts claim that this law has resulted in a "worrying increase" in the number of arrests in India, especially in the areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The rapporteurs regretted that the government is worth that legislation as a means of coercion to restrict the fundamental freedoms of civil society, the media and human rights defenders in the areas under its administration of Jammu and KashmirIn the rest of the country.

"We exhort once again to the Indian government to adjust this legislation with the country's obligations stipulated in international human rights laws," they said.

Could receive capital punishment

Pars.

Tomorrow Thursday, the Special Court of the National Investigation Agency could rule another extension of its arrest for 90 more days and then, if they were convicted, Parvez could be sentenced to the death penalty or up to 14 years in prison.

The signatories of the declaration are the working group on forced disappearances and the special rapporteurs about the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor;on the promotion of fundamental guarantees in the fight against terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin;And about arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz.

* Special Rapporteurs* are part of what is known as special procedures of the Human Rights Council.The special procedures, the largest body of independent experts of the UN Human Rights System, is the general name of the independent mechanisms of research and supervision of the Council that deal with specific situations of countries or thematic issues worldwide.Special procedures experts work voluntarily;They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.They are independent of any government or organization and provide their services individually.