NC MP Ruhullah seeks immediate, unconditional release of rights activist Khurram Parvez

Ruling National Conference (NC) leader and Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah on Monday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of human rights activist Khurram Parvez, who completed over 1400 days in jail.

“For over 1,400 days, the BJP-RSS regime has kept Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez in unlawful captivity. His imprisonment is not only an assault on his dignity, but a calculated attack on the collective rights and freedoms of all Kashmiris,” MP Ruhullah said.

He said that by silencing Khurram, they seek to strip the people of Kashmir of the very sense of protection and accountability that a vigilant human rights defender provides.

“His absence is meant to erode their confidence and to deny them the reassurance that someone will ring the alarm when their rights are trampled,” Mr. Ruhullah said.

Kashmir-based human rights activist Khurram Parvez, 46, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2021. 

Parvez was working as program coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Chairman of the Board of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD).

The JKCCS was awarded the Rafto Prize for human rights in 2017. The NIA arrested under provisions of the UAPA.