NEW DELHI (Kashmir English): A special court in Delhi has sentenced senior Hurriyat leader and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DeM) chief Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment in a politically motivated case.
The specially designated court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also handed down 30-year sentences to her associates, Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen.
The three were convicted on January 14 under sections 20, 38, and 39 of the Indian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The provisions of the anti-terror law and “charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and waging war against the state” were included.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh handed down the sentences after hearing arguments about the quantum of punishment.
The NIA had sought life imprisonment for Asiya Andrabi, accusing her of waging war against India through so-called hate speeches, to send a clear message of giving the strictest punishment for conspiring against the state.
Andrabi founded a Kashmiri rights group called the Dukhtaran-i-Millat, or Daughters of the Nation, in 1987. She was arrested by the NIA in April 2018.
Human rights groups have condemned the case as fabricated, politically motivated, and part of a campaign of brutality against freedom fighters in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The case is being described as part of the BJP-led Indian government’s efforts to suppress dissent in the occupied territory.
She has long been a vocal advocate for the rights of Kashmiris, including the right to self-determination recognized by the United Nations.
Asia Andrabi’s husband, Ashiq Hussain Fakto, has also been under house arrest for the past three decades. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in a fabricated murder case in 2003, reflecting the atrocities inflicted on the Andrabi family.
AJK PM condemns
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has strongly condemned the sentencing of Asiya Andrabi, along with Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen, calling it an instrument of political coercion.
“These verdicts are not about justice; they are instruments of political coercion aimed at silencing dissent in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he wrote in a post on X.
I strongly condemn the sentencing of Asiya Andrabi, along with Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen, by an NIA court in New Delhi. These verdicts are not about justice—they are instruments of political coercion aimed at silencing dissent in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/savQx5q5EM— Faisal Mumtaz Rathore (@PMofAJK) March 24, 2026
Rathore added that targeting women for their political beliefs and struggle for the internationally recognised right to self-determination only exposes the deep bias of the system.
“This is not the rule of law; it is the criminalisation of a legitimate political voice.”
He further urged the United Nations and global human rights organisations to take immediate notice, adding that continued silence will only embolden such actions.
“The people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir cannot be subdued through intimidation; their resolve for freedom, justice, and dignity will endure,” he wrote.
