Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj freed on bail

Indian authorities release the two men after years in prison although both remain under tight court-imposed restrictions.Indian authorities have released prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj on bail after years in prison on “terrorism” financing charges although both remain under tight court-imposed restrictions.The two men walked free from a New Delhi jail late on Wednesday, their relatives said, as India’s National Investigation Agency seeks to overturn their bail – the latest chapter in what rights groups call New Delhi’s sweeping crackdown on activists, journalists and dissidents in India-administered-Kashmir" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="167547" data-entity-type="location">India-administered Kashmir since 2019 when it scrapped the region’s autonomy, granted under the Indian Constitution.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why is India vetting books in Kashmir in search of ‘anti-national’ content?list 2 of 4Decades of denial: Death certificate for disappeared reopens Kashmir woundslist 3 of 4‘Limited damage’: Upcoming Bollywood film angers Kashmir pellet gun victimslist 4 of 4Can Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s election overcome a violent summer?end of listParvez, programme coordinator for the Kashmir-coalition-of-civil-society" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="170076" data-entity-type="organization">Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), was arrested in 2021 by the National Investigation Agency at his home in Srinagar.Mehraj, a freelance journalist who worked with the same rights group as a researcher, was arrested in 2023.Both face charges of “funding terrorism” and “propagation of secessionist agenda” under India’s stringent “antiterrorism” laws, which in effect allow authorities to hold people without trial indefinitely.The National Investigation Agency accuses the two of using the JKCCS to fund militant-linked activities and promote a separatist agenda. Both men deny the allegations.A lower court granted them bail last week, but the agency appealed. The Delhi High Court refused on Tuesday to suspend the release order although it imposed tougher restrictions on the men’s movements and activities while it hears the appeal.