On November 22, 2021, Khurram Parvez, a globally acclaimed Kashmiri human rights defender and civil society activist was arrested by the Indian government. Charged under the much-criticized Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for “terror-funding” and “conspiracy,” Khurram’s internationally acclaimed body of work is being tarnished by allegations of terrorism. His arrest has caused global outrage, and the United Nations and other human rights bodies have called for his unconditional release.
Khurram’s arrest must be understood within the frame of a new hostility towards civil society in Kashmir. India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval recently called civil society the “new frontier of war” or the “fourth-generation warfare.” Since Khurram is one of the most visible icons of Kashmiri civil society, and this statement foreshadowed his arrest merely two weeks later, he has been made a representational threat for all forms of democratic dissent.
This summer, Khurram and I shared a video call after almost two years. His gleeful, guttural laugh ignited hope as we watched the sunrise over the Colorado mountains. For Kashmiris, the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the deep-rooted political persecution that had been increasing since August 5, 2019, when India legally removed Kashmir’s autonomy, kicking into high gear the policies of settler colonialism. Activism, dissent, or resistance to Indian rule, which have always been criminalized, are even more so now. Media censorship is law and journalists are being charged under the UAPA for merely doing their jobs.
Read full here: https://globalvoices.org/2021/12/14/arrest-of-activist-khurram-parvez-shows-a-new-hostility-towards-civil-society-in-kashmir/