OIC calls Yasin Malik's conviction illegal, India asks not to justify terrorism
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New Delhi: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its concerns over the charges and the amount of punishment granted to the Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik.
Calling the conviction of Malik, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for terror funding, illegal and the trial a sham, the OIC-IPHRC said that the inhuman conditions in which Malik has been put in jail are the reflections of systemic Indian bias and persecution of Kashmiri Muslims.
"OIC-IPHRC condemned illegal conviction of prominent Kashmiri politician Mr. Yassen Malik on concocted charges following sham trial in India. He is imprisoned under inhumane conditions which are reflective of systemic Indian bias and persecution of Kashmiri Muslims in IOJK," a tweet by OIC-IPHRC read.
Reacting to the OIC-IPHRC's comments, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that through the comments the OIC-IPHRC has implicitly expressed support for terrorist activities of Yasin Malik, which were documented and presented in the court.
He added that India finds unacceptable the comments and urged the OIC-IHRC not to justify terror activities in any manner when the world seeks 'zero tolerance'.
The OIC-IHRC in its statement also raised the alleged human rights violations against innocent Kashmiris aimed at denying Kashmiris their legitimate right to self-determination and called it a travesty of Indian justice.
"Such acts of blatant human rights violations against innocent Kashmiris are aimed at denying Kashmiris their legitimate right to self-determination. It not only constitutes a travesty of Indian justice but also exposed the claims of democracy," the OIC-IHRC tweeted.
Malik had pleaded guilty to terror funding crimes and was convicted of terror funding, spreading terrorism, and secessionist activities in the Valley in 2017. Malik, who headed the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was handed a life sentence by a court, in Delhi on Wednesday.