Kashmiri activist and journalist released on bail amid ongoing legal battle
A prominent human rights activist and a journalist have been granted bail in India after years in detention on terrorism financing charges, though they remain under strict court restrictions.
Indian authorities have released prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj on bail after years of imprisonment on charges of "funding terrorism" and "propagation of secessionist agenda." The two men were freed from a New Delhi jail late Wednesday, according to their relatives, but both remain under tight restrictions imposed by the court.
Parvez, who coordinates programmes for the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), was arrested in 2021. Mehraj, a freelance journalist who also worked as a researcher for the same group, was taken into custody in 2023. They are accused by India's National Investigation Agency of using the JKCCS to fund militant-linked activities and promote a separatist agenda. Both deny the allegations.
A lower court granted them bail last week, but the agency appealed. The Delhi High Court refused on Tuesday to suspend the release order, though it imposed stricter conditions on their movements and activities while the appeal is heard. According to a court document, the two must arrange their own stay in the capital, where they face trial, and cannot travel to Kashmir.
The JKCCS has documented alleged human rights violations by Indian forces in Kashmir for decades, including torture and unlawful killings. International rights groups, including the UN human rights office, have called for the men's release, saying they were jailed for their work. In 2023, a UN working group described Parvez's arrest as an "act of reprisal for his human rights work."
Since 2019, when India's government scrapped the region's autonomy, authorities have arrested over 3,600 people under "antiterrorism" laws in Kashmir, with more than half still in prison. Journalists and activists say they have faced harassment and arrests. The Kashmir region has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947, and armed groups have fought Indian rule since 1989, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, mostly civilians.
