3 days ago
Amnesty Urges Pakistan to Release Detained Kashmir Journalist
Ahmad Farhad is a journalist and poet who reports on rights issues in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Rights groups say police detained him on June 20 after he covered a protest.
He is being held in Bagh under a law that allows preventive detention.
Amnesty International says his detention is unfair and has asked authorities to release him.
It also says officials pressured him to criticize the protests.
Farhad is reportedly on hunger strike to protest his detention.
Another group, Front Line Defenders, says he was targeted because of his reporting and human rights work.
The articles do not report a response or justification from Pakistani authorities.
Amnesty International called for the immediate release of journalist and poet Ahmad Farhad.
Farhad has reportedly been held in Bagh, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, since June 20.
Rights groups say he was detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance after covering a protest.
Amnesty alleged authorities pressured Farhad to denounce ongoing protests and said he is on hunger strike.
Front Line Defenders said his detention reflects a wider crackdown on journalists and peaceful rights movements.
- Who
- Journalist and poet Ahmad Farhad; Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders have called for his release.
- What
- Farhad is being held under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and rights groups allege the detention is unlawful and linked to his reporting.
- Where
- Farhad is being held in Bagh, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, after covering a protest in Rawalakot.
- When
- He was reportedly detained on June 20; Amnesty's statement came after the detention, while Front Line Defenders had issued an appeal the previous month.
- Why
- Rights groups say he was targeted for reporting on human rights and social justice issues and covering the Joint Awami Action Committee protest movement.
Rights groups' allegations
Authorities' reported position
Legality of detention
Rights groups' allegations
Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders describe the detention as arbitrary or unlawful and call for Farhad's immediate release.
Authorities' reported position
The articles say Farhad is being held under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, but report no public response or justification from Pakistani authorities.
Reason for detention
Rights groups' allegations
Rights groups say Farhad was targeted for legitimate journalism, human rights work, and coverage of the Joint Awami Action Committee protests.
Authorities' reported position
The articles provide no stated account from Pakistani authorities disputing or explaining the rights groups' allegations.
Treatment of protests and journalists
Rights groups' allegations
The organizations allege a broader crackdown involving repression, excessive force, arrests, and pressure on Farhad to denounce protests.
Authorities' reported position
No official position on the alleged crackdown, arrests, or pressure is reported in the articles.
Key facts
- Detainee
- Ahmad Farhad, a Kashmir poet and journalist
- Detention date
- June 20
- Reported location
- Bagh city police station, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
- Legal basis
- Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance
- Current protest
- Farhad is reportedly on hunger strike
- Organizations seeking release
- Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders
- Protest covered
- A Joint Awami Action Committee demonstration in Rawalakot
Quotes
Amnesty International
International human rights organisation
“He is currently on a hunger strike to protest his unlawful detention. Amnesty calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Ahmed and refrain from coercive tactics which curtail his right to freedom of expression.”
thehansindia.com
“He has faced violent reprisals as a result of his work, including an abduction which later turned into an arrest in 2024, as well as criminalisation and stigmatisation by state authorities.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
Related news
MEA Slams Pakistan Over Crackdown on PoK Protesters
Report: Pakistan used bullets, media blackout to hide PoK brutalities
Pakistan Rights Body Questions Force and PoK Election Credibility
Pakistan Terror Groups Shift Camps From PoK Toward Punjab
Plandari Protests Expand as JAAC Plans March to Muzaffarabad
MEA urges international sympathy and solidarity for PoK residents
