The United Nations has urged India to immediately end crackdown on Kashmiri human rights defenders.

In a statement, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor said that Indian authorities appear to be intensifying the long-standing repression of Kashmiri civil society.

The statement came after renowned Kashmiri rights defender Khurram Parvez was arrested in a second case on terrorism charges.

Mary Lawlor said the state must respect its human rights obligations and be held accountable where it violates them.

She said that the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society carries out essential work of monitoring human rights. Their research and analysis of human rights violations are of huge value, including to international organizations seeking to ensure accountability and non-repetition of abuses.

Mary Lawlor called for the release and the closing of the investigations against Kashmiri human rights defenders.