Kashmir’s Prisoners of Conscience: Defying Oppression Across Generations

The political and human rights landscape in Indian-Illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains marked by state repression, arbitrary detentions, and systematic silencing of dissent. 

Political leaders, human rights defenders, and journalists advocating Kashmir’s right to self-determination are routinely targeted under draconian laws like the Public Safety Act (PSA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Many imprisoned Kashmiris, held without fair trials, have been declared prisoners of conscience by international human rights bodies.

These laws serve as tools of oppression, enabling indefinite detentions under vague charges. The PSA permits imprisonment without trial for up to two years, prompting Amnesty International to call it a “tyrannical lawless law.” UN experts have also criticized UAPA for allowing authorities to label individuals as “terrorists” without proof, effectively suppressing civil society, journalists, and rights activists. AFSPA grants sweeping immunity to Indian forces, shielding them from accountability for extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence, reinforcing IIOJK’s status as one of the world’s most heinous militarized zones.

Meanwhile, the India-centric National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) remain preoccupied with securing favor from the BJP–RSS-led central government. The Abdullahs of NC have revalidated their treacherous legacy. Before elections, Farooq Abdullah condemned the revocation of Article 370 as part of Modi’s anti-Muslim agenda in line with his Gujarat pogrom. 

Post-elections, he reversed his stance, claiming Article 370 had only served the Dogra rulers. His son, Omar Abdullah, further displayed servility by eulogizing Modi’s January visit to IIOJK, even linking it to improved weather. Despite their past rhetoric on restoring pre-August 2019 status, they now struggle even to demand statehood.

Public anger in IIOJK continues to rise. The so-called promise of prosperity has failed, with unemployment rate at 32.8%, higher than any of the Indian states.

Kashmiri homes and workplaces have been demolished, apple orchards destroyed, and land confiscated for Indian and foreign investors. The crackdown on Kashmiri youth persists, with at least 827 arrests in 2024 on trumped-up charges of being ‘Over Ground Workers’ accused of supporting the freedom movement, though actual arrest figures still remain suppressed.

As Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed on February 5, it is imperative for Kashmiris, Pakistanis, and supporters of right to self-determination to remember the sacrifices of Kashmir’s prisoners of conscience, and the repressive legal framework used against them by Indian apartheid colonists, a brief synopsis of is below.

Political Leaders as Prisoners of Conscience

Syed Ali Shah Geelani (1929–2021)

A towering figure in Kashmir’s resistance, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was a relentless advocate for self-determination and Kashmir’s affiliation with Pakistan. As the head of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), he endured decades of imprisonment and house arrest. Fearless and unwavering, he remained an enduring symbol of defiance and inspiration.

In his final years, Geelani was confined to his home in Srinagar, denied basic freedoms and medical care. A cancer survivor and nonagenarian passed away under house arrest on September 1, 2021. Security forces stormed his residence, seizing his body from his grieving family and forcibly burying him at a location of their choosing, depriving family of his final rites. The denial of a dignified burial was part of a broader pattern of posthumous retribution against Kashmiri leaders.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani was a steadfast source of inspiration for the Kashmiri freedom struggle during his lifetime and remains so for present and future generations.

Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai (1944–2021)

Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and a veteran pro-freedom leader, died in custody on May 5, 2021, after being denied medical care. Arrested under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), his condition worsened with severe symptoms of COVID-19 pandemic, yet even a screening test was denied to him, absurdly claiming that it would spread panic in the prison.

Sehrai’s custodial death highlighted the systemic mistreatment of Kashmiri political prisoners, who face deliberate medical negligence and psychological torment. His case was not an exception but part of a broader pattern of state repression, where imprisonment serves as a tool of silencing and persecution. His death remains a stark reminder of the cost Kashmiri leaders pay for their convictions.

Shabir Ahmad Shah

Shabir Ahmad Shah, a leading political figure in IIOJK, has spent nearly 38 years in prison. First arrested in 1968 at age 14 for organizing a student protest, he has since been repeatedly jailed under PSA and UAPA, often without trial or conviction.

Recognizing his prolonged detentions, Amnesty International declared him a "Prisoner of Conscience" in 1992. His commitment to non-violent activism and decades in incarceration earned him the title of the Nelson Mandela of Kashmir. Despite international appeals, he remains behind bars, embodying resilience in the struggle for self-determination.

Yasin Malik

Yasin Malik, a prominent Kashmiri leader, was declared a "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty International for his arrest, detention, and sentencing over his advocacy for Kashmiris self-determination. Once involved in armed struggle, he later renounced violence in favor of peaceful activism.

Malik's health has deteriorated in custody due to harsh conditions, including deliberate water deprivation that severely damaged his kidneys. In 2022, he was sentenced to death by a special Indian court, though international pressure led to its commutation to life imprisonment. However, the prosecution has appealed for the restoration of capital punishment.

International Human Rights organizations believe that Malik’s imprisonment is politically motivated, aimed at punishing his role in the Kashmiri freedom movement.

Asiya Andrabi

Asiya Andrabi, leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, has been repeatedly imprisoned under PSA and UAPA for her pro-freedom stance. Currently held in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under dire conditions since 2018, while the Indian government has seized her Srinagar home.

Suffering from hypertension, asthma, and arthritis, Andrabi’s imprisonment, and house confiscation has severely impacted her family, especially as her husband, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, has also been jailed since 1993. Despite calls from human rights groups, she and her female associates remain incarcerated under draconian charges.

Masarat Alam Bhat

Masarat Alam has been at the forefront of the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination, organizing large-scale anti-India protests. Frequently arrested under the PSA, UAPA, and other charges. He has spent around 17 years in jail on allegations of waging war against the state, conspiracy, and anti-national activities.

Bhat has been active in various pro-independence organizations, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (MLJK). In 2021, he succeeded Syed Ali Shah Geelani as chairman of the APHC’s Geelani faction, cementing his leadership in the Kashmiri freedom movement. The Indian government later banned his Party MLJK under the UAPA.

Ayaz Akbar

Ayaz Akbar, a senior Hurriyat leader and has been repeatedly arrested under the UAPA for his role in the Kashmiri freedom movement. His most recent arrest was in 2019 after he led protests against the revocation of IIOJK’s special status.

Akbar has endured severe persecution including being kidnapped by army-backed gunmen, forcing his family to pay a hefty ransom for his release.

In 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached Akbar's properties, including his home and land, in a bid to silence him and weaken the Kashmiri freedom movement.

Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Under Persecution

Khurram Parvez

Khurram Parvez, a renowned human rights defender and coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), has documented rights violations in IIOJK for decades. He was arrested in 2021 under the UAPA on allegations of terrorism funding, membership in a terrorist organization, conspiracy, and waging war against the state. Global organizations, including the UN OHCHR, Amnesty International, and RAFTO International - a Norwegian human rights body, have called for his release.

Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, urged India to end its crackdown on Kashmiri activists like Parvez. Dismissing the allegations against Parvez as unfounded, RAFTO has expressed concerns about the repression of Kashmiri civil society, intimidating rights defenders.

Aasif Sultan

Aasif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist, was arrested in August 2018 under the UAPA on charges of harboring militants and supporting a banned group. However, his arrest is widely seen as retaliation for his journalistic work, particularly his reporting on Kashmir’s freedom struggle and debunking the fake Indian narrative.

Journalistic and human rights bodies, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Front-Line Defenders, have condemned his arrest and called for stoppage of using anti-terror laws to silence journalists.

Although Sultan was granted bail in 2022, and 2024, he was rearrested under PSA in no time, following the draconian practice in such cases.

Omar Abdullah Kashmiri journalist Irfan Meraj was arrested in 2023 under UAPA for his work as a researcher with Khurram Parvez’s JKCCS. He faces allegations of terrorism funding and sedition. His detention highlights India’s efforts to silence journalists exposing Kashmir’s reality and has been condemned by human rights groups. Amnesty International has called it a travesty and part of ongoing repression in Kashmir. The CPJ also expressed concern over Meraj’s detention, noting the consistent targeting of journalists in Kashmir.

Majid Hyderi

Kashmiri journalist Majid Hyderi was arrested in September 2023 on charges of criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and defamation linked to his journalistic work.

Then not Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, criticized his arrest and the selective targeting of journalists. Ironically, Hyderi remains incarcerated even after Abdullah became Chief Minister in October 2024. His arrest raised concerns about the silencing of independent journalism in IIOJK.

Conclusion:

The imprisonment of Kashmiri political leaders, human rights defenders, and journalists highlights the oppressive nature of India’s rule in IIOJK. These prisoners of conscience face persecution for their political beliefs, rights activism, and journalism under unjust laws meant to suppress dissent. 

Despite the call of global community, including the UN, human rights organizations, and civil society for their release, India persists in using legal and extralegal measures to silence those advocating for Kashmir’s self-determination. 

Until these human rights violations, and fundamental freedoms are meaningfully addressed, IIOJK will remain under siege, and its people will endure continued repression.