UN experts urged to declare detention of Kashmiri journalist arbitrary
Rights groups have asked a UN body to intervene in prolonged pre-trial detention of Kashmiri journalist, calling case emblematic of India’s use of security laws to silence independent voices
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Two international human rights organizations have submitted a complaint to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention urging it to declare the detention of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj arbitrary and in violation of international law.
The complaint was filed by the Human Rights Foundation and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, nearly three years after Mehraj was arrested by India’s federal investigation agency.
Mehraj, an independent journalist and human rights defender, has remained in pre-trial detention since March 2023 without his case going to trial.
According to the submission, Mehraj was arrested by the National Investigation Agency and has since been held at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. His detention has been repeatedly extended by courts, while his bail application remains pending and formal trial proceedings have yet to begin.
Rights organizations argue that the case reflects a broader pattern in which prolonged pre-trial incarceration is used as punishment in itself. Hannah Van Dijcke, legal and research officer at Human Rights Foundation, described the practice as “trial by jail,” saying the legal process becomes punitive even in the absence of a conviction.
Indian authorities have linked Mehraj’s detention to his past association with the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, accusing him of involvement in terrorism and secessionism under what officials describe as an “NGO terror funding” investigation.
That investigation, launched in 2020, has targeted several Kashmiri civil society organizations operating in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
The case has drawn international attention because similar allegations have been used to detain other prominent Kashmiri human rights defenders, including Khurram Parvez, who remains imprisoned under the same investigation.
In their filing, the organizations urged the U.N. body to formally investigate Mehraj’s detention, declare it arbitrary under international human rights law, and call on the Indian government to secure his immediate and unconditional release.
They argue the case raises serious concerns about press freedom, due process, and India’s compliance with its international legal obligations.
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