Kashmiri Delegates Seek UNHRC Intervention In Release Of HR Defenders

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Sep, 2025) Women representatives of the Kashmiri delegation, while highlighting the plight of human rights defenders, have sought the urgent intervention of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to secure the early release of veteran activist Khurram Parvez and others booked under India’s anti-terror laws.

In her statement before the Council, Dr. Shagufta condemned India’s reprisals against Kashmiri human rights defenders through draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), received a press release from Geneva here on Friday.

She stressed that the continued detention of Khurram Parvez defies UN calls and exposes India’s contempt for the Council. She urged the immediate release of illegally detained activists, repeal of UAPA, and decisive Council action to uphold credibility.

Speaking on behalf of IASPD, Ms. Mehr-un-Nisa told the Council during the general debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms that in Kashmir, 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.

Meanwhile, 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-occupied 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 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 were killed and over 70 injured. “This is not only repression but a direct assault on the UN human rights system,” Khan maintained.

The speakers collectively urged the Council to intervene against reprisals, demand the release of Kashmiri defenders, and hold India accountable to its international obligations. They stressed that the credibility of the UN depends on protecting those who defend human rights.