Today marks three years since Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj was unjustly imprisoned more than 500 miles away from his home and his wife. HRF joins 32 other civil society organizations in calling on the Indian government to release him immediately and unconditionally.

Mehraj is an independent journalist and researcher who documented human rights violations in Kashmir. He has upheld the highest standards of journalism in a region where independent reporting often comes at great personal risk.

Three years ago today, Mehraj was arrested and charged under India’s counterterrorism law, legislation widely criticized by UN experts as vague and repressive. Officials claim Mehraj is a “close associate” of Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights defender whose detention was deemed arbitrary under international law.

For more than 1000 days, Mehraj has languished in prison with no trial date and no ruling on his bail. HRF calls on the Indian government to end its repression of journalists and human rights defenders in Kashmir — and to free Irfan Mehraj.