SRINAGAR (Dunya News) – An Indian court has sentenced senior Hurriyat leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, and Hurriyat leaders Fahmeeda Sofi and Nahida Nasreen to 30 years each, reflecting vendetta against those who are raising voice for their right to self-determination in the Held Valley.
According to reports, Andrabi, who heads the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, was sentenced under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act along with sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The court also handed 30-year prison sentences to her close associates, Fehmeeda Sofi and Naheeda Nasreen.
The case was investigated by India’s National Investigation Agency and sought the maximum punishment.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jeet Singh announced the verdict after hearing arguments. Andrabi had been in custody since her arrest in April 2018.
Human rights organisations have criticised the ruling, raising concerns over due process and describing the case as politically motivated.
They argue it reflects broader tensions and challenges related to dissent in the region.
Andrabi founded Dukhtaran-e-Millat in 1987 and has long been associated with advocacy related to Kashmiri political rights in India Held Kashmir.
The Convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Ghulam Muhammad Safi, has strongly condemned the Indian judiciary’s decision.
He described the verdicts as a violation of the principles of justice, international law, and fundamental human rights, said a statement issued here.
Safi said the decisions not only reflect political vendetta but also represent a continuation of what he termed as systematic state repression, judicial exploitation, and human rights abuses in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He asserted that implicating Hurriyat leaders in what he called fabricated and baseless cases, followed by handing down lengthy sentences, is a failed attempt to suppress the legitimate, peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination, as recognized by United Nations resolutions.
He further stated that the Indian judiciary has failed to maintain impartiality in matters related to Kashmir and often appears to function as an instrument of the state narrative.
The sentences awarded to Andrabi, Sofi, and Nasreen, he added, serve as clear evidence that dissent is being criminalized in an effort to silence Kashmiri leadership.
Safi noted that history bears witness to the fact that the use of force, arrests, detentions, and coercive tactics have neither broken the resolve of the Kashmiri people nor halted their struggle.
The Hurriyat convener also appealed to the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the European Union, and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to take immediate notice of the situation.
He urged them to pressure India to release political prisoners and ensure an end to human rights violations in the region.
He called on the international community to play an effective role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, stressing that delays in justice not only perpetuate oppression but also pose a threat to regional peace and stability.
Safi expressed full solidarity with Aasiya Andrabi, Fahmida Sofi, Nahida Nasreen, and all political prisoners, saying that the Kashmiri people will not allow their sacrifices to go in vain and will continue to carry their struggle forward determination.