Various international organisations have signed a call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defender Khurram Parvez from Kashmir as he completes four years in prison today, 22 November, 2025.
Parvez has been arbitrarily detained without trial for four years in Delhi’s Rohini prison under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Parvez is the Coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in March 2023.
“He has, for years, documented human rights violations in Kashmir, including enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. He cooperated extensively with the United Nations (UN) human rights mechanisms in pursuit of justice and accountability for human rights violations. He was awarded the 2023 Martin Ennals Award for his tireless human rights work,” the statement said.
The statement has been signed by organisations such as the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Front Line Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Kashmir Law and Justice Project (KLJP), and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).
“Indian authorities have systematically persecuted Parvez for his human rights work. India’s National Investigation Agency arrested him on 22 November 2021 on various trumped-up charges including waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, punishment for conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India, raising funds for terror activities and punishment for conspiracy,” the statement added.
In 2016, Khurram was prevented from attending a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva and later detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act for 76 days — a preventive detention law widely criticized for violating international legal norms. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court subsequently ruled his detention unlawful, underscoring its arbitrary nature. In October 2020, the NIA raided the offices of JKCCS, Khurram’s residence, and other locations, just months after the organisation published a report detailing the human rights impact of Kashmir’s communications blockade.
Parvez was charged in a second case while being detained on “terror financing” along with independent journalist Irfan Mehraj, who was formerly associated with JKCCS for their human rights work.
“This is just an attack on Kashmiri civil society and journalism that continues till now. It is unfortunate how justice is being denied to both Khurram and Mehraj,” a Srinagar-based journalist told Maktoob.
“Indian authorities have increasingly misused laws including the UAPA to bring politically motivated charges against human rights defenders,” the statement added.
In May 2020, UN human rights experts expressed their concerns about various provisions of the UAPA and its non-conformity with international laws and human rights standards.
The statement also noted that Section 43 D (5) of the UAPA makes it “highly unlikely” for a person arrested under this law to be released on bail.
“Khurram had previously faced reprisals from Indian authorities for his human rights work, including in September 2016, when he was prevented from travelling to Geneva to attend the UN Human Rights Council session and arbitrarily detained for 76 days. The UN Secretary-General’s annual report on reprisals has included information on Khurram since 2018 as a case of reprisal for cooperating with the UN,” the organisations pointed out.
They further said that Parvez’s persecution is occurring within a larger context of systematic, longstanding, grave human rights violations by Indian authorities in Kashmir and impunity for those violations.
“Since August 2019, Indian authorities have forcibly closed the already highly restricted civic space in the region. Journalists continue to face targeted harassment including arrests, travel bans and passport suspensions for their reporting. Access to information is severely restricted, including through arbitrary internet shutdowns. Recent measures include a ban on certain scholarly and journalistic books in August 2025 on Kashmir for alleged promotion of false narratives and secessionist content,” the statement added.
Currently held in Rohini Jail in New Delhi, Khurram has been repeatedly denied bail, subjected to prolonged pre-trial detention, and in March 2023, faced additional charges linked to a First Information Report filed in 2020.
The organisations called on the Indian authorities to “immediately” and “unconditionally” release Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj, “to drop all charges against them”, and to “end all forms of harassment” against all Kashmiri human rights defenders and civil society organisations.
“The government should end misuse of laws such as UAPA and criminalisation of human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents. Indian authorities should amend their laws into conformity with international laws and human rights standards and ensure accountability for human rights violations committed by Indian forces in Kashmir,” it further added.
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