New Delhi: A coalition of 34 civil society organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances and others, led by the Committee to Protect Journalists, has called for the immediate release of Kashmiri independent journalist Irfan Mehraj and human rights defender Khurran Parvez.While Mehraj completed three years in pre-trial detention on Friday (March 20), Parvez has been lodged in prison in Delhi since four years.In a joint statement issued on March 19, the groups said Mehraj was detained by the National Investigation Agency on March 20, 2023 under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Mehraj, a Srinagar-based independent journalist and founding editor of Wande Magazine, has written extensively on human rights issues in Kashmir and contributed to the Indian Express, Al Jazeera, Himal Southasian and Deutsche Welle.Authorities have alleged that Mehraj was a close associate of Khurram Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), and linked him to an investigation into alleged terror financing by NGOs. Pointing out that JKCCS is a well-known civil society organisation in Jammu and Kashmir, the statement said that the charges against both Mehraj and Parvez were “politically motivated” and “fabricated”.Khurram Parvez. Photo: Sameena Mir, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons“Our organisations urge the Indian authorities to repeal repressive laws including the UAPAand the PSA and to create an enabling environment for civil society and the media to freelyand independently operate in Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement says.It adds a call to the “international community to urge the Indian government to comply with its international human rights obligations, release Irfan Mehraj, Khurram Parvez and all other detained Kashmiri human rights defenders.”Also read: Kashmir: Jailed Human Rights Defender Khurram Parvez Forged Solidarities in SufferingThe Wire has previously reported that Mehraj was called to the NIA office while on assignment and then detained, according to his family.“He was on a story when the investigators called him on his mobile phone. They told him to come over to their office [for questioning] for five minutes. Later, we got to know that he had been arrested and was going to be shifted to Delhi on Tuesday. My son and brother have gone there seeking legal assistance,” Mehraj-ud-Din Bhat, Irfan Mehra’s father, a Kashmir arts trader, told The Wire a day after his arrest in 2023.The arrest drew severe criticism from the UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor, Amnesty International, the Press Club of India and several other rights and pre-freedom of expression groups even at the time. Reepeated concerns have been raised over the use of the UAPA against journalists in Kashmir, including Mehraj.According to an NIA press release dated March 21, 2023, Mehraj was arrested in connection with a case involving NGOs and trusts accused of diverting funds towards “secessionist and separatist activities” in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency referred to alleged links with banned outfits.NIA makes first arrest in NGO Terror Funding Case pic.twitter.com/sjPGmxDyNd— NIA India (@NIA_India) March 21, 2023Reporting by The Wire and other independent media has documented multiple recent instances of journalists in Kashmir being summoned by police, questioned for days and one even told to sign a so-called good behaviour bond without formal cases registered against them or the charges explained.Also read: The Work of Irfan Mehraj, a Fearless Journalist Who Offered Fresh Perspectives on KashmirAt least four journalists working for national publications, including the Indian Express, were called to police stations in Srinagar earlier this year, after reporting on a controversial exercise led by the Union Territory administration to collect information on mosques, according to Scroll.in. Newslaundry reported that around 25 Kashmiri journalists have faced similar intimidation over the past year, with some subjected to repeated interrogations and demands for personal and financial information.The Wire journalist Jehangir Ali’s phone was recently seized by police, before being returned. In a statement, The Wire had detailed the nature of the police action in a statement:Without providing a reason, let alone the details of any FIR, case, warrant or court order, the police officers seized his mobile phone. Contrary to directions issued by the Supreme Court to Central agencies and to universally accepted norms aimed at preserving the integrity of seized electronic devices, they did not provide Jehangir Ali the hash value of the seized phone. Recording of the hash value is essential for ensuring no data is added or deleted from the device while it is in custody.The statement by the groups released on March 19, 2026 says that freelancers and local reporters are particularly vulnerable to both travel restrictions and detentions in Jammu and Kashmir. Press bodies and political figures have repeatedly criticised the use of summons and bonds as coercive.