ISLAMABAD: An Indian court has sentenced prominent Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment under the country’s stringent anti-terror legislation, in a move critics say reflects New Delhi’s continued crackdown on dissent in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Indian media reports, a Delhi Special Court on Tuesday awarded Andrabi life imprisonment under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), while her associates Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen were each sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The three women had been convicted earlier this year, on January 14, for their alleged involvement with Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), an all-women Kashmiri organization advocating the region’s separation from India.
The court reportedly found the accused guilty under “multiple provisions of UAPA, including Section 18,” which pertains to conspiracy, and Section 38, related to membership of a proscribed organization.
Prosecutors alleged that the trio were engaged in “promoting separatist ideology, mobilizing support, and coordinating activities,” claims long disputed by Kashmiri groups who describe such cases as politically motivated.
Dukhtaran-e-Millat, founded in 1987 and led by Andrabi, was banned by Indian authorities in 2004 under the UAPA. The organization has been widely viewed in Kashmir as part of the broader political resistance movement against Indian rule.
Legal proceedings against Andrabi and her co-accused began in 2021, when a Delhi court initiated trial under both the UAPA and multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The charges included “criminal conspiracy,” “waging war against the government of India,” “sedition,” and “promoting enmity between different groups.”
The accused had pleaded not guilty, insisting on a full trial.
Observers note that the sweeping use of anti-terror laws such as the UAPA has drawn sustained criticism from human rights advocates, who argue that such legislation is frequently employed to silence political opposition and suppress voices in IIOJK.
Andrabi, a science graduate from Srinagar’s Government Women’s College and daughter of a local health practitioner, has remained in custody throughout the prolonged legal proceedings.
The latest sentencing is expected to further intensify concerns over civil liberties and the shrinking political space in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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