In a joint press statement, Human rights bodies including FIDH, FORUM-ASIA, and OMCT have condemned the “serious human rights violations committed by Indian Government authorities” in Kashmir following the death of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on 1 September 2021. The three organisations also condemn the imposition of restrictions that are inconsistent with the country’s international human rights obligations and urge the Indian government to end all acts of“harassment” against Geelani’s family members.
Topics: death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, state reprisal against family members, violation of prisoner rights
Terms: lack of religious freedom, death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Jammu Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), denial of right to free assembly, denial of right to free expression, denial of freedom of religition and belief
The security forces also prevented media workers from reaching Mr. Geelani’s home. Family members said police removed Mr. Geelani’s body was removed from his home, which prevented his family and other relatives from performing his final rites, including funeral prayers and the burial in accordance with Islamic practice. According to family members, in the early hours of 2 September, the police hastily buried Mr. Geelani at a graveyard near his home – an act that was against the leader's wishes, as he wanted to be buried in the Martyrs Graveyard in Eidgah,Srinagar, nearly nine kilometres from his home. No relatives of Mr. Geelani were allowed to attend his burial, which took place under a massive presence of security forces. On 5 September, 2021, police in Srinagar filed a first information report (FIR) against an unknown number of Mr. Geelani’s family members under the repressive Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Police accused them of shouting anti-India slogans and draping Mr. Geelani’s body in a Pakistani flag after his death.
September 2021
Originally published
Photo creditDownload (PDF)Download Here