British Home Secretary refuses to release Kashmiri prisoners

London, 1 Dec 1998

Home secretary, Jack Straw MP, yesterday refused to reduce the 'tariff's set or release the two Kashmiri prisoners Mohammed Riaz and Qayyum Raja after 15 months of deliberations. He re-confirmed that their jail terms, which were arbitrarily extended by a former home secretary to be the same to a group of MPs from Bradford who have been fighting for justice in this case.

The Labour home secretary's decision has caused distress amongst the large Kashmiri community living in Britain, which was assured by the Labour leader before the general elections that if voted to power he would review the case sympathetically. Many Kashmiri councilors and labour party activists who were active in the campaign now feel let down.

Riaz and Raja were recommended to serve 10 and 15 years imprisonment respectively by the trial judge in 1985. However, using his discretionary political powers, Douglas Hurd, the then home secretary, arbitrarily extended the jail terms by 10 more years against the recommendation of the Lord Chief Justice in 1988. When Qayyum and Riaz came to know of that of their 'tariff' they immediately challenged the home secretary's decision in the high court, which was upheld in Dec 1994 and the new Home Secretary, Micheal Howard undertook to review the case under pressure from from MPs, Peers and human rights organizations but later refused to reduce their tariff.

Both had denied their involvement in the murder of an Indian diplomat in Birmingham in 1984. They were, however, found guilty by a jury in February 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation from the trial judge for a minimum of 10 and 15 years. Both have now served 15 years in custody without knowing how long they are to be kept behind bars.

Free Riaz And Qayyum Campaingn (FRAQC), which was set up in 1992 in the UK to fight for justice and discrimination, has vowed to fight on for their early release from prison for both Kashmiri prisoners. Last year FRAQC campaigners stood in the Local Council elections in Birmingham to raise awareness on the issue. So much was the strength of the support that one FRAQC candidate won the seat defeating a sitting Labour Councilor while another narrowly missed by just 46 votes. Over 4000 record protest votes were registered in just these two wards during that election.