A journalist dissatisfied with his work in the mainstream and a committed Right to Information activist, Sajjad Rasool from Badgam, Kashmir is concerned with the wayward development of his state. In spite of being rich in natural resources and one of the major producers of power, many people in the state still have to manage without basic amenities. According to…

Sajad Rasool

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Khurram Parvez is a noted Kashmiri Human Rights activist.  He has led organisations like Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) to take strong stands on the police and army brutality in Kashmir. 

On September 15 Khurram was detained at Delhi airport while he was about to board a flight to Geneva where he was scheduled to make a presentation of Indian troop's excesses in Kashmir at the 33rd UN Human Rights Council Session. The next day he was arrested from his residence in Srinagar Kashmir under unclear allegations.

His arrest under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (1978)  was condoned by human-rights activists worldwide with UN experts reaching out  to the Government of India (GoI). After failed attempts to do so, they also suggested that his arrest was a deliberate attempt to obstruct his legitimate human rights activism and called the government's accusations vague. Member of the civil society such as Gloria Steinem, Noam Chomsky and Arundhati Roy also joined the efforts which led to the massive campaign #FreeKhurram.

Eventually,  the Jammu and Kashmir high court quashed his arrest leading to his release 76 days after his unlawful detention. Video Volunteers' Sajad Rasool interviews him after his release.

They speak about the how Human Rights activists in Kashmir are targeted by the State, the impunity of the State, Kashmir's collective struggle to get justice and accountability for the people and the ignorance of media in the affairs of Kashmir.  

Video Volunteers has previously worked with JKCCS to identify the structures, forms and tactics of violence of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir. We stand by Khurram's work and shall continue to support the cause of bringing accountability and justice to the valley. 

THIS VIDEO WAS MADE BY A VIDEO VOLUNTEERS COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT SAJAD RASOOL.

Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ they give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.