UN calls J&K human rights activist's arrest 'disturbing'

THE arrest of Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights activist in Jammu and Kashmir, by India’s federal National Investigation Agency (NIA) has earned a backlash from various rights groups, including the United Nations.

Parvez was arrested late on Monday (22) on charges of terror-funding, an Indian official told Reuters. His house and office were raided and items like a mobile phone, laptop and book were seized, the official added.

On Tuesday (23), an NIA spokesperson confirmed Parvez’s arrest. He is being held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which allows authorities to detain people for up to six months without trial.

Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, described Parvez’s arrest as “disturbing”. In a tweet, she said, “He’s not a terrorist, he’s a human rights defender.”

Parvez, one of Kashmir’s best-known activists, heads the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society – a body of rights organisations that work in the region.

In 2016, too, he was arrested and detained on similar grounds after being stopped from boarding a flight to go to a UN human rights forum in Geneva, Switzerland. He was later released without being convicted.

In July, the death of veteran activist Stan Swamy in judicial custody had seen a similar reaction from Lawlor who had called the news “devastating”.