Amnesty calls for immediate, unconditional release of PoJK journalist
Islamabad, August 25
Amnesty International South Asia has called for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist and poet Ahmad Farhad, who has reportedly been held in administrative detention for more than two months under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. Farhad has been detained since June 20 in Bagh, in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Amnesty International, Farhad is currently on a hunger strike to protest what it described as his unlawful detention. His health reportedly deteriorated significantly, prompting authorities to shift him to a hospital on August 22.
The rights organisation said Farhad is among several journalists and human rights defenders facing alleged targeting for raising concerns over human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Amnesty urged authorities to ensure his immediate and unconditional release, stressing concerns over his prolonged detention and deteriorating health.
Farhad's latest detention comes against the backdrop of an earlier disappearance that drew international attention.
According to Amnesty International, Farhad was forcibly taken from his home in Islamabad on May 15, 2024. He was known for criticising enforced disappearances and supporting social movements. He reappeared on May 29 in police custody in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Authorities subsequently charged him with allegedly obstructing a public servant at a Kohala check post near Muzaffarabad. Additional charges related to terrorism and unlawful assembly were later brought against him. Farhad was released on bail on June 14, 2024, although the charges remained pending and investigations continued.
His case has become part of wider concerns raised by rights groups over enforced disappearances and the treatment of journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Pakistan.
Rights organisations have repeatedly alleged that critics of state policies and those campaigning for accountability have been subjected to detention, intimidation and disappearance. Amnesty's latest appeal has renewed scrutiny of Farhad's detention, particularly amid concerns over his hunger strike and health.
— ANI
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