Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez was released from the Kotbalwal jail in Jammu on Wednesday after a the Jammu and Kashmir court termed his detention as “illegal” and demanded his immediate release.
Parvez was arrested from his Srinagar residence on 16 September during a massive crackdown on separatists and booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly inciting people to protest and raise slogans. After his release, Parvez took to Facebook, saying:
I am deeply touched by the love and solidarity expressed by so many friends from across the world. This 76 day detention was a difficult time for me, my family and colleagues.
Just a day before he was imprisoned, he was barred from boarding a flight to Geneva where he was to attend a UN Human Rights Council session. Experts from UN had urged the government to release Pavez. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on 26 November, had directed the police to release him.
He heads the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) which on Wednesday issued a statement saying:
He is in good health and spirits. He expresses his overwhelming gratitude to the local and international solidarity campaign for his release,
Parvez is also the chairperson of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAID) which recently won the 2016 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award “for the courage, leadership and vision it brings to the world.”
(With inputs from IANS)
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