THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION. YOUR LETTERS TO THE CHIEF MINISTER OF JAMMU & KASHMIR HAVE BEEN SENT.
How old are YOU? What did YOU(th) do today?
Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh has been detained without charge or trial in India for over 6 months… and he is only 14 years old. Add your name to the call for his immediate end to dentention.
Do something – add your name below now!
Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, a child aged 14, has been detained without charge or trial by the Jammu and Kashmir authorities in India since 21 April 2010 (that’s over 6 months!).
- He was arrested on 9 April 2010. He is alleged to have been part of a large mob which pelted police and security forces with stones during ongoing protests against the state in Srinagar, the capital of the northern Jammu and Kashmir state. He was released on bail after eight days in custody but was again detained without charge or trial on 21 April.
- Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh’s family was not informed that he was detained but came to know of it by chance when a local resident saw him in a police vehicle, being taken to a jail in another town.
- Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh was initially held at Udhampur Jail and is now held at Kot Bhalwal Jail at Jammu. Both are regular prisons without any special facilities for detaining children. Prison conditions in Jammu are harsh and the provision of health care is limited.
- The police claim that Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is 19 years old. His family members told Amnesty International that Mushtaq was born in 1996 and is therefore only 14 years old. Prison records are reported to also confirm that Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is indeed a child.
- Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh continues to remain in detention.
Who do YOU(th) know who is 14 years old? Can you imagine? Add your name now to call on state authorities for Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh to immediately end his detention without charge or trial, and to urge that if he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence, that he is treated in accordance with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (see it here in your language)
Got 3 seconds ? Take Action – Sign
- Add your name, age* and country to the form below and we will add your details to a letter to the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah.
Got 3 minutes? Take Action – Sign and Share
- Add your name, age* and country to the form below and we will add your details to a letter to the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah.
- Share this page with your friends, ask them to take action on behalf of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh. Share on Facebook, via email, twitter or any other way you think!
Got 30 minutes? Take Action, Write, Share and Discuss
- Directly approach the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, through this site write politely: (see picture for details)
- Demanding that the state authorities immediately end the detention without charge or trial of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh;
- Urging that if charged with a recognizable criminal offence, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh be treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and held and tried in special facilities for children
- (Tip: you may like to use the letter below as a guide – note you will need to submit your email address for this to occur. If you take this action, please let us know by sharing the message you sent in the comment section for others to use as inspiration)
- Share: Have you brothers, sisters, cousins or friends who are 14 years old? Can you share this story with them? Are you at school, can you ask teachers or peers to sign? How many people can you get to sign up to demand that state authorities immediately end the detention without charge or trial of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh.
- Discuss: Participate in a discussion and share your ideas here about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, or about the detention of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh. What did you do for 6 months when you were 14 years old? What can YOU(th) do to defend human rights in our Asia Pacific region?
*Please note we will include your age to indicate that young people in the Asia Pacific care about human rights!
ADD YOUR NAME TO THIS LETTER, simply add your details to the form below!
“Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir
Omar Abdullah
Civil Secretariat
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu – 180 001
Fax: +91 191 2546466
Dear Chief Minister,
I am writing today to demand the immediate end to the detention without charge or trial of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh. I understand that this 14 year old child has been detained by the Jammu and Kashmir authorities in India since 21 April 2010.
I further urge that if charged with a recognizable criminal offence, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh be treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and held and tried in special facilities for children.
Thank you for your consideration and action on this matter.
[your name, age and country] “
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is detained under the J&K Public Safety Act – a law that allows the state authorities to detain persons for up to two years without any judicial review of the allegations against them. Repeat detentions are also commonly ordered.
At least 322 people are reported to have been detained without trial under the provisions of the Public Safety Act in J&K in 2010 alone. A number of them, reportedly including some more children, have been detained on similar grounds of stone pelting and rioting during various protests against the Indian government throughout the summer of 2010.
