Special Report by Overseas Tribune
RAFTO’S Prize of Norway will go to Parveena Ahangar and Imroz Parvez of Kashmir for their decades of campaigning for human rights in the Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir.
The statement of RAFTO foundation of Norway said, Parveena Ahangar and Imroz Parvez have long been at the forefront of the struggle against arbitrary abuses of power in a region of India that has borne the brunt of escalating violence, militarisation and international tension.
Their long campaign to expose human rights violations, promote dialogue and seek peaceful solutions to the intractable conflict in Kashmir has inspired new generations across communities, the statement said. Parveena Ahangar protests against enforced disappearances and challenges the perpetrators of violence. She is the founder and leader of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) which arranges peaceful protests and offers practical assistance to victims.
Imroz Parvez is a lawyer and a leading intellectual who uses the law to ensure fundamental human rights and equality before the law in Kashmir; he is the founder of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which works for human rights and alternatives to violence.
A Europe based researcher from IHK Mr Roushan Akbar termed the award for both Kashmiri prominent human rights activists as a great achievement for struggle for spreading awareness about Kashmir issue in the world.
Oslo based leading Norwegian journalist of Pakistani origin Mr Kadafi Zaman said, this is really a great prize for the Kashmiris struggling for the rights of the oppressed people in IHK.
