The ABA observes that Mian Abdul Qayoom, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) President who was arrested with other lawyers, has been detained since August 2019, shortly after the Indian Government revoked the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of India’s Constitution. President Qayoom has been elected as President of the JKHCBA 20 times, which attests to the formidable respect that he enjoys from his peers. Although he is a staunch supporter of the Kashmiri peoples’ right to self-determination, we understand that he advocates a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Kashmir in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Despite this, we are informed that President Qayoom continues to be held in “preventive” detention, with no charges filed against him, based on the 1978 Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act that allows pre-trial detention for up to two years. We understand that President Qayoom suffers from a number of life-threatening ailments and had a heart attack while in detention. To continue to detain him in difficult conditions, without charge, not only denies him his liberty but also places his life at risk.