Lawfare, Detention – Journalists

On 31 July 2020, journalist Qazi Shibli was detained by police after he was asked to report to the Shergari police station in Srinagar. The defender has been detained under Section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC).

Qazi Shibli is a journalist and human rights defender. He is the editor of the news website, The Kashmiriyat, that focuses primarily on issues regarding development and human rights. In his capacity as a journalist, Qazi Shibli has reported widely on the situation on the ground in Kashmir, including the increasing militarisation in the valley and the human rights violations that those living there are subjected to.

On 30 July 2020, Qazi Shibli received a call from the cyber police in Srinagar, asking him to present himself at the Shergari police station for interrogation. The following day, on 31 July 2020, after being interrogated for two hours, the defender was detained under Section 107 of the CRPC, which relates to ‘security for keeping the peace in other cases’. He was since moved to Srinagar Central Jail, where he is currently being detained.