GOOD NEWS! After more than 72 days of unlawful administrative detention, Kashmiri poet and journalist Ahmad Farhad was released on August 31. Detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights, Ahmad endured months of uncertainty and was hospitalized after his health significantly deteriorated while in custody. His release comes without any charges being filed against him, underscoring the arbitrary nature of his detention. This outcome is a powerful reminder that collective action matters. Every message sent, every signature added, and every voice raised helped shine a spotlight on Ahmad’s case and increased pressure on the authorities.
Ahmad Farhad, a Kashmiri poet and journalist, has been under administrative detention since June 20 in Bagh, Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir. His arbitrary detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance comes as part of a massive crackdown on the right to peaceful assembly in the region. Concerningly, the authorities are pressuring Ahmad Farhad to record statements denouncing protests taking place in the region. He is currently on a hunger strike to protest his unlawful detention.
Calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Ahmad and refrain from coercive tactics which curtail his right to freedom of expression.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO SENT APPEALS.
Dear Deputy Commissioner,
I am concerned about the arrest and administrative detention of Ahmad Farhad, a Kashmiri poet and journalist who is known for his support for social movements. He has been detained at a police station in Bagh, Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir, since June 20. His detention was ordered by the District Commissioner of Bagh under section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance which allows for detention of individuals accused of speech undermining public safety, but no specific allegations have been made against him.
In detention, Ahmad Farhad is being pressured to record a video denouncing protests in the region and condemning the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a grassroots civil rights movement, as a terrorist organization, as a condition for his release. In protest, on July 27, Ahmad Farhad went on hunger strike until August 10, when he was persuaded by the authorities to end his hunger strike with the promise of release. However, he was not released, and he resumed his hunger strike on August 11. On August 22, he was transferred to a hospital and put on intravenous fluids after his health deteriorated significantly.
Ahmad Farhad’s detention is arbitrary and appears to be solely an attempt to silence his right to freedom of expression and impede his reporting on the ongoing human rights violations in the region.
I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmad Farhad from arbitrary administrative detention. I urge you to ensure that Ahmad Farhad is protected from torture, other ill-treatment, and coercion during his detention.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Other Urgent Actions for this Case
- First UA Issued: [Pakistan 46.24]
- Second UA Issued: [Pakistan 46.24]
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