Oxford University students protest. Photo: Twitter/The Quint

Students of the University of Oxford, England on Sunday staged a protest demonstration demanding an end to the “atrocities” in Kashmir and the release of Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez.

Reports said that around 70 to 80 stepped out in support of the people in Kashmir followed by a 7-minute silence.

In a press release quoted in The Quint report, the protesting students “urged the international community to pressure the Indian state to stop the atrocities in Kashmir and also release Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights defender.”

It went on to note that the protests come a week after the Indian armed forces “killed at least six people in two different encounters while using some of them as human shields,” the report said quoting the statement.

As per the Twitter account of Kashmir Zone Police, three militants had been killed in Rambagh while their identification and affiliation were yet to be ascertained, it said.

“Contrary to the police’s version, eyewitnesses recount that all of them were unarmed and were thrown out of a car and shot in broad daylight,” said the protesters.

The students also spoke on the Hyderpora killings, in which the police say they have killed an individual associated with the militants and two others, while their anguished families asserted otherwise, the report said.

Holding placards and sloganeering on Sunday, the students said, “Recognise, respect, and restore the dignity of Kashmiri lives. Stop the arbitrary killings and bloodshed of the Kashmiri people. Release political prisoners and human rights defenders, including Khurram Parvez.”

The report added that protestors also beseeched the Indian government to “respect the right to self-determination of Kashmiri people and enable them to exercise it.”

Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez was arrested on November 22, 2021, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code.

However, Parvez’s arrest has been widely criticized. Various internationally recognized rights bodies and activists criticized his arrest and demanded his immediate release.

On Thursday, six international human rights organizations in a joint statement have sought the immediate release of Parvez and asked the Government of India to follow the human rights laws.

This story first appeared on freepresskashmir.news