SRINAGAR: The separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference on Thursday demanded the release of its chairman and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has been under house arrest since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
"Mirwaiz is under house detention since August 5, 2019 and none is allowed to visit and meet him," said a Hurriyat Conference spokesman.
He said three Hurriyat executive members Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Masroor Abbas Ansari were denied permission to meet Mirwaiz at his Nageen residence, where he has been under detention since August 5, 2019.
According to the Hurriyat spokesman, mobile bunkers and armed vehicles have been deployed at the main gate of Mirwaiz's residence. "The CRPF and police personnel have partially blocked the road towards Mirwaiz's residence from both sides and no one is allowed to go inside."
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While Mirwaiz is under house detention, over a dozen separatist leaders including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan are lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail and many other separatist leaders and activists are also under detention.
The separatist camp has gone silent after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has already quit the Hurriyat faction led by him.
Alleging that all human, fundamental rights and civil liberties of Mirwaiz stand completely curbed for the last two years as he has been caged inside his home, the Hurriyat spokesman demanded his leader's immediate release from the arbitrary house detention.
He appealed to all rights activists and organizations and democracies of the world to ensure Mirwaiz's release and the restoration of his human rights.
Mirwaiz, who used to lead Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar, has not offered a single Friday prayer at the Jamia since August 5, 2019 due to his continued detention.