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In occupied Kashmir, J
&K police raided Mian Abdul
Qayoom’s home around midnight on July 7, 2010, and arrested Kashmir Bar Association president under stringent Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act of
1978 (PSA). and sent him to Jammu’s Hiranagar
jail.
He was and
he was taken to high security Hiranagar jail in
Jammu.Under PSA, a person can be jailed without trial for two years to
maintain public order.
The President of High Court Bar Association, Qayoom is being targeted because of his
long-standing work in defence of human rights and his legal advocacy for
the detained and disappeared in Kashmir.
Mian Qayoom
has challenged his detention before the High Court through a writ
petition. The High Court has issued notices to the occupation
authorities, asking them to file their objections by or before July 14,
the next date of hearing of the petition. Senior lawyers, Zaffar Shah and
Ashraf Butt represented the Bar President, presently lodged in a Jammu
jail. Besides challenging the detention order, the lawyers also filed an
application before the court, asking that Mian Qayoom be shifted to
Kashmir from Jammu and be lodged in a nearest jail as mandated by several
rulings of the Indian Supreme Court.
Lawyer Qayoom’s
arrest was made without evidencing due cause under the PSA. The PSA
continues to be used arbitrarily in Indian-administered Kashmir to
repress dissent without due cause or process.
Condemning the detention of Mian Qayoom, the
lawyers in north Kashmir have also announced support to the strike call.
The President of Sopore Bar Association, Mohammad Maqbool, the President
of Handwara Bar Association, G N Kabu and the spokesman of Kupwara Bar
Association, Naseer Ahmad Dar described the detention of Mian Qayoom as
undemocratic .
To protest the arrest of its President and
killing of 15 persons by Indian troops, the High Court Bar Association
had decided to strike work in the courts.on part of the occupation
authorities.
On 18 July 2010, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, General
Secretary of the Bar Association, was detained on similar grounds under
the PSA as well as for organising public mobilisations calling for the
release of Mian Abdul Qayoom. Ghulam Nabi Shaheen is currently being held
in the District Jail in Rajouri.
On July 27, the members of
High Court Bar Association of occupied Kashmir started hunger strike to
press the demand for release of their President, Mian Abdul Qayoom and
General Secretary, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen and to invite attention of the
world community towards atrocities being committed against lawyers and
people of the territory.
The lawyers talking to
mediamen said that the arrest of Mian Abdul Qayoom and Ghulam Nabi Shaheen
under the black law, Public Safety Act, was an attempt to stop the
lawyers of the territory to plead cases of detainees and people facing
human rights abuses. They threatened to continue the agitation if their
leaders were not released.
The lawyers, who are on the
hunger strike, include Ejaz Bedar,
Nazir Ahmad Ronga, Muhammad Amin Butt, Muhammad Amin Malla, Arshid
Andrabi.
On the other hand, Mian Abdul
Qayoom has filed an application before the High Court seeking consent to
plead his detention case himself.
Meanwhile, the High Court of
the occupied territory approved a group of five lawyers to meet and
interact with Mian Abdul Qayoom and Ghulam Nabi Shaheen. The orders came
in response to two separate petitions filed by the Bar members, wherein
the court intervention had been sought to allow them meeting their
detained leaders. The lawyers who have been allowed by the court to meet
Mian Qayoom and Ghulam Nabi Shaheen include Zafar Shah, M A Pandit, M Ashraf Butt, Bashir Siddiq and Rafiq
Joo.
IDHAE condemns the arrest
of Mian Qayoom, President of the
Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, under the Jammu and Kashmir
Public Safety Act of 1978 (PSA).
IDHAE expresses grave concern
for the physical and psychological safety and security of Qayoom.
IDHAE asks for immediate
ans unconditionnal release and due
process, as per international humanitarian law, be followed.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW
Send
The IDHAE LETTER TO ADRESSES MENTIONNES BELOW
[Your name here]
MEMBERS ONLY
[Signature]
TAKE ACTION NOW !
MEMBERS ONLY
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY
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