Seeking the release of its alumnus and ex-IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal, the world-renowned Harvard University has started a campaign.
The Harvard University is a champion of the basic principles of democracy such as 바카라freedom of expression바카라 and 바카라due process of law바카라, the varsity바카라s paper further says, 바카라We as a community, should not tolerate suppression of civil and political rights through arbitrary detentions of voices of dissent, especially that of our students and alumni.바카라
바카라As members of the Harvard community, we should defend, support and empower young leaders who wage battles against unfair systems,바카라 the paper says. It has called for support to the release of the Harvard student, Shah Faesal, and asked people to join social media campaign #FreeShahFaesal. The renowned institution has asked students to write to the Prime Minister of India and ask for the release of Faesal. It has also asked students to talk to State Representatives and Senators about raising the issue of arbitrary detentions of non-violent dissenters in India.
A report in The Citizen, official newspaper of the Harvard Kennedy School, published on Monday, says, 바카라HKS student Shah Faesal was detained in India in August 2019 from Delhi airport on his way to resume his studies here. His life has been remarkable in many ways. Hailing from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in India, he witnessed his father, a teacher, killed by gunmen. Yet, he resorted to peace rather than violence. He was the first Kashmiri to top the prestigious All India Civil Services exam. As a government servant, he was the pride of Kashmir and a symbol of hope to youth across the state 바카라 inspiring young people to believe that there are nonviolent, legal channels to bring peace into their lives.바카라
In 2018, Faesal was enrolled in the Mid-Career MPA program at HKS as a Fulbright Scholar. Simultaneously, he set up a political party - the Jammu Kashmir People바카라s Movement - in Jan 2019 and quit the civil services.
The report, commenting on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Faesal바카라s arrest, says, 바카라In August 2019, BJP government, revoked the semi-autonomous status of J&K without any deliberations with the state government or citizens of J&K. All communications via the internet, phone lines and mobile services were immediately shut down without notice. All people of J&K were cut off from the rest of the world overnight. All political leaders of Kashmir, including the former Chief Ministers, leaders of the opposition parties, Presidents of bar associations of the J&K High Court and District Courts, and even youth perceived as potential threats were all detained under the J&K Public Safety Act and other laws in the name of 바카라public safety바카라.바카라
바카라In the days before the revocation, Shah Faesal was vocal on social media trying to reassure people amidst increasing unease, as pilgrimages were cancelled and army deployment increased. Not only was the unease warranted, but he too was also targeted. After sharing his concerns about the undemocratic nature of the laws imposed on J&K in his last interview with the BBC, he was on his way to HKS to complete the last semester of his MPA program. He was arrested from Delhi airport and detained in J&K under the Public Safety Law (PSA),바카라 the report says.
The report says the J&K PSA allows the State to detain a person without trial for 2 years, which is in itself a violation of Article 11 of the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR) where a person needs to be perceived as innocent until proven guilty. 바카라He has been detained since August 2019. Nine months have passed now. On May 13, 2020, his detention was extended again for another 3 months,바카라 the report added.
