New Delhi, India — A prominent Kashmir human rights activist who has been jailed for nearly five years won a partial legal victory Wednesday, receiving bail in one “terror financing” case but remaining detained on a second set of charges.
The Delhi High Court granted bail to 49-year-old Khurram Parvez in the November 2021 case, according to legal news portal LiveLaw. However, he remains in custody for a separate case filed in March 2023.
Parvez was arrested about five years ago by India’s primary anti-terror law enforcement agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), on charges of “terror financing,” recruiting militants in Indian-administered Kashmir and instigating protests during a civilian uprising. The second case also involves allegations of “terror financing.”
International human rights groups have widely condemned Parvez’s arrest and continued detention.
His lawyer, Swati Khanna, expressed hope that Parvez could be released in the coming months if there is a “positive outcome” in the second case. “We hope that in another one or two months, he may be out,” she told reporters.
Trials have yet to begin in either case – a point highlighted by international human rights organizations, which argue the proceedings effectively serve as punishment for political prisoners in India, who often spend years behind bars before seeing a courtroom.
The conviction rate under the anti-terror law known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) stands at a low 5% nationwide. That rate drops to under 1% in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government has faced criticism for suppressing dissent and criminalizing expression in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region.
“Khurram’s arrest proved to be the final nail in the coffin of any meaningful human rights activism in Kashmir, one of the most militarized regions in the world,” said a political analyst in Srinagar, Kashmir, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “This bail comes from a case that was completely shallow, almost fictional, after years in jail, and Khurram still won’t be free.”
Kashmir is a disputed territory between India, Pakistan and China, each of which controls a portion. Pakistan controls the northern and northwestern areas – Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. India controls the southern and southeastern parts – the Kashmir Valley, which includes the largest city Srinagar; Jammu and Ladakh. China controls the Aksai Chin region in the northeast.
