This is a statement by UN Human Rights experts which urges India to release Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez. Mr. Parvez has been victim of a number of incidents of reprisals reportedly for sharing this information with the United Nations, as documented in various reports of the Secretary-General and communications from UN special procedures mandate holders.

Topics: arrest of Khurram Parvez

Terms: attack on human rights defenders, arrest of Khurram Parvez, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)

This is an urgent intervention request to the Indian Government by The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, the International Federation for Human Rights. This request follows the ongoing arbitrary detention of prominent human rights defender Khurram Parvez and demands his immediate release, his right to a fair trial, and a guarantee of his physical and psychological well being.

Topics: harassment of human rights defenders, 2021 arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez

‍Terms: arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), international human rights law, First Information Report (FIR), violation of right to fair trial, harassment of human rights defenders

This is communication from the UN working group on enforced disappearances and the UN Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial killings, promotion of freedom of speech, on the situation of human rights defenders, and the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, among other things, seeks an impartial investigation, more information and legal justification for the arrest of Khurram Parvez in November 2021. Additionally it calls the government to indicate the measures it has taken to ensure that Parvez is being treated in accordance with international human rights law, and requests that his location be disclosed to Parvez’s family and legal counsel.

Topics: arbitrary detention of human rights defender Khurram Parvez

Terms: November 2021 arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), violation of human rights law, National Investigation Agency (NIA), right to fair trial, violation of habeas corpus, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

This is a comment by  UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Rupert Colville on the arrest of Khurram Parvez and recent killings in Indian Administered Kashmir. Colville expresses concern over the misuse of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as a tool for reprisal against human rights defenders. He expresses concern over sweeping counter-terrorism measures used to crack down on civl society actors. Additionally, he calls on security forces to exercise restraint to prevent further violence against civilians.

Topics: arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez, rise in extrajudicial killings in Kashmir, excessive use of force 

Terms: arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), excessive use of force by armed forces, suppression of right to free expression, suppression of right to free association, killings, November 15 2021 Hyderpora killings

This statement calls for the immediate release of Khurram Parvez and to end the impunity for perpetrators of human rights abuses in Kashmir. Parvez is the coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and the chairperson of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD).

Topics: November 2021 arbitrary arrest of Khurram Parvez

Terms: Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Indian Penal Code, arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez, harassment of human rights defenders