By National Alliance for Justice Accountability & Rights (NAJAR)

19th July, 2024:  National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights (NAJAR), a collective of progressive legal professionals for democratic causes, vehemently condemns the recent crackdown on multiple advocates in Kashmir. The arrests of four lawyers, part of Jammu & Kashmir High Court Bar Association, has sparked outrage and concern both within Kashmir and outside. We unanimously call for the release of all advocates, activists and journalists arrested in Jammu & Kashmir, both recently, and since 2019.

As per reports and eye witness accounts, Adv Nazir Ahmed Ronga, the ad hoc Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association was arrested on 11th July, in the middle of the night, under the Public Safety Act (PSA), without prior notice. Sr. Adv Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, former general secretary of the Kashmir chapter of the J&K High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) was arrested on 17th July from his residence and booked under PSA. He has been lodged in Kathua jail. Adv Mian Abdul Qayoom was apprehended on 25th June by the Jammu & Kashmir police for questioning related to the tragic assassination of lawyer Babar Qadri in 2020, under circumstances that raise serious questions about due process. Another lawyer, Adv Mian Muzaffar was also arrested recently.  

These arrests follow a troubling pattern of suppression and violation of human rights and rule of law in the region. NAJAR is of the view that the arbitrary use of the Public Safety Act is unconstitutional and disproportionate. The targeted attack on the Bar Association members is worrying and inimical to the legal profession.

This crackdown is part of a broader trend where voices advocating for Kashmiri rights to social, economic and political self-determination have been systematically silenced and persecuted. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in Aug, 2019, activists and dissenting voices, have faced increased scrutiny, arrests and intimidation tactics from state authorities.  Social activitst Khuram parvez, journalists Irfan Mehraj and Sajad Gul have been in jail for the last few years.

There has also been a systematic hindrance of the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association properly since the abrogation of Article 370. In June, restrictions were imposed on the elections to the association citing alleged ‘secessionist ideology’. The District Magistrate stated that the restrictions were imposed since the Bar Association failed to clarify why the constitution for the Association called ‘Kashmir an issue to be settled’. Despite, the association amending its constitution, they have not been allowed to conduct elections. The Bar Association’s elections have been pending for four years.

This story was originally published in countercurrents.org. Read the full story here.