On Friday, the UN made public a letter written to the government of India undersigned by 4 special rapporteurs, expressing serious concerns over the arrest, alleged torture and death in custody of Hurriyat leader Ashraf Sehrai.
Sehrai passed away in May earlier this year after battling with multiple health issues at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu, while he was still under detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). It is pertinent to mention that after the demise of the Hurriyat leader, two of his sons were also booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), for “anti-national” slogans during their father’s funeral.buy cialis pack online https://nouvita.co.uk/wp-content/themes/twentynineteen/inc/new/cialis-pack.html no prescription
This letter, undersigned by 4 special rapporteurs, was sent to the Indian government in the month of July and the GOI was asked to respond to the letter within certain time frame.buy amitriptyline online https://nouvita.co.uk/wp-content/themes/twentynineteen/inc/new/amitriptyline.html no prescription But since, there was no response from the GOI, the organization made the letter public yesterday.
The letter reads that the Hurriyat leader was detained on July 12, last year from his home at Srinagar without an arrest warrant and that despite filing a Habeas Corpus case in the Jammu Kashmir high court, which should decide on the case within 15 days, “Mr. Sehrai was not released.”
“Likewise, his family filed three requests before the court for ensuring his vital medical treatment. The court delayed the hearing of the petitions – which in turn delayed essential medical care and exacerbated the health condition of Mr. Sehrai while in detention,” the letter noted.
It further says that, “The family had also sought for his transfer from the Udhampur jail to Central Jail Srinagar, considering his ailing condition, to no avail. In effect, the isolation suffered by Mr. Sehrai, was exacerbated by his transfer to a place of detention far away from his place of residence and family. This was an aggravating factor for the life-threatening conditions of detention he was subjected to.”
The letter noted that “sleep deprivation and being placed in solitary confinement might have also had a negative impact on his health,” leading to his demise.
Not only have the UN Special mandate holders expressed grave concerns regarding the reports of torture and deprivation of adequate healthcare, they’ve also demanded from the GOI the legal grounds of the later Hurriyat leader’s arrest and the reasons behind putting Sehrai in a solitary confinement.
The UN rapporteurs have demanded a separate and an impartial probe into the matter.
“If confirmed, these allegations would amount to multiple violations of the right of every individual to life and security, the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, of the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of one’s life or liberty, as well as the right to health, as set forth in articles 6, 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which India acceeded to on April 10, 1979,” the letter says.
Morris Tidball-Binz (special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions), Tae-Ung Baik (chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances), Tlaleng Mofokeng (special rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health) and Nils Melzer (special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) were the signatories of the letter addressed to the government of India.
Yesterday, three major Human Rights bodies – FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), FORUM-ASIA (Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development), and the OMCT (World Organization Against Torture) had also released a statement condemning “the serious human rights violations committed by Indian government authorities in Kashmir” following the death of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on 1 September 2021.