KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The family and a group lawyers managed to meet and spend some time with internationally known rights activist Khurram Parvez at sub-jail Kupwara on Monday.
Khurram was arrested by police on last Thursday late night lodging him in police station Kothi Bagh and then shifting him to Kupwara. He is Program Coordinator of Srinagar based rights defender group, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS).
“Today the family and the lawyers from Srinagar and Kupwara met Khurram Parvez at Sub-Jail Kupwara, where he has been under illegal detention for the last two days. He is staying in barrack no 3, with about 24 other inmates,” JKCCS president, Advocate Parvez Imroz said in a statement. Imroz is in Switzerland where he, along with his CCS colleague Kartik Murukutla, is attending 33rd UNHRC session.
“Khurram was in good spirits,” Imroz said, “and has no serious health issues.”
Khurram was part of a group who were to fly to Geneva to attend the UNHRC session. But he was detained in International airport in New Delhi on last Wednesday/Thursday night. Authorities in Delhi sent him home instead where from he was detained later in the day.
“Though the jail premises are not disability friendly, he is being helped to a great extent by other inmates,” the statement issued by Imroz informed. Khurram’s one leg had to be amputated when the vehicle he was travelling hit a land mine in North Kashmir during 2002 elections. His colleague and rights defender Asiya Jeelani died in the incident.
The statement by CCS president said that Khurram was updated about all the legal developments and the international solidarity campaign for his release. Notably, top 52 intelligentsia, worldwide, wrote an open letter seeking immediate and unconditional release of Khurram.
“Khurram apprised the legal counsel of the circumstances of his medical examination in Police Control Room [PCR] Srinagar on 16/09/2016 (before his transportation to Kupwara). He said that his specific request about his special needs due to his disability was ignored. Though the Medical Officer records his disability no appropriate measures were taken to accommodate his special needs and the Sub-jail Kupwara has no facility for persons with disability,” the statement said.
“Khurram reiterated that he was never produced in person before the Executive Magistrate [South Srinagar], and in fact was kept in the police vehicle while the Investigating Officer left and returned with some papers,” the statement said, “He (Investigating Officer) did not intimate Khurram about the proceedings, despite his repeated request, that he should have a lawyer. Further he was denied a copy of the order despite his repeated request.”
Khurram also expressed concern about other prisoners.
“The jail is overcrowded due to the state’s continuing violent crackdown on the civilian population, in which by some estimates more than 5000 cases of breach of ‘public disorder’ have been registered in the last 70 days of anti-India protests. The jail currently houses about 105 prisoners, though its capacity is only 50-60. According to Khurram, a considerable number of detainees are political prisoners and protestors, including minors,” the CCS statement said adding, “Khurram’s detention draws attention to the context of widespread and systematic state repression of all forms of dissent in Kashmir and widespread use of arbitrary arrests and detentions of civilians in Kashmir.”
The statement further said that the lawyers served a copy of the remand Order dated 17/9/2016 (by Executive Magistrate, Srinagar—reducing remand from 10 days to 5 days) to the Jail Superintendent, and he acknowledged the receipt. Meanwhile, the criminal revision petition was listed for further hearings tomorrow i.e. 20 September, 2016.
“Khurram also expressed his thanks for the overwhelming concern and solidarity shown by the global community and Kashmiri people for his release,” the CCS statement concluded.
