Kashmiris at home and abroad observing Afzal Guru’s martyrdom anniversary

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and worldwide are observing the 12th martyrdom anniversary of Muhammad Afzal Guru today, with a renewed pledge to continue the ongoing struggle till freedom from Indian occupation.

On February 9, 2013, Muhammad Afzal Guru was hanged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. The judge at the time defended the execution by claiming that it was done to appease the collective sentiments of the Indians. Legal experts and rights activists had also termed it a judicial murder.

His execution, carried out in secrecy and without informing his family, remains a glaring stain on India’s so-called democracy. Guru’s mortal remains were never returned to his family, adding to the deep sense of injustice felt by the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Legal experts and political analysts stressed that Afzal Guru, like other Kashmiri martyrs, has become a symbol of defiance against oppression. His sacrifice, they emphasize, continues to fuel the freedom movement in the occupied territory.