New Delhi: The United Nations Human Rights Office, led by high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk, has urged the Indian government to drop the Unlawful Activities case against writer Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain for remarks they made in 2010.
“We are concerned by use of #UAPA anti-terror law to silence critics. Repeat call for review of law & release of human rights defenders detained under it. Urge authorities to drop cases against Arundhati Roy & Sheikh Showkat Hussain over comments on India-admin Kashmir,” the UN human rights office said.
Earlier this month, Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena granted sanction to prosecute Roy and Hussain under the UAPA, an anti-terror law that makes it difficult for accused persons to secure bail.
Earlier, over 200 academics, activists and journalists had called for the withdrawal of this sanction.
The invocation of the UAPA against the two will allow the government to bypass the statute of limitations for the IPC sections involved and that the definition of “unlawful activities” – in Section 13 of the Act, under which the police have sought sanction to prosecute them – includes phrases used in sedition law.
On Thursday, Roy was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2024, which goes to a “Writer of Courage: a writer who is active in defence of freedom of expression, often at great risk to their own safety and liberty”.
