India again seeks death sentence for Yasin Malik

The head of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik, was given life in prison, but India’s top anti-terrorism body asked for the death penalty for him again on Friday, official sources said.

The boss of the JKLF pleaded guilty to funding the separatist movement last year after he refused to take a lawyer picked by the government or defend himself.

The court denied a request from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a death sentence because it was for a crime that “shocks the collective consciousness” of society and therefore shouldn’t be punished with the death penalty.

A top source in Srinagar said that the NIA asked the High Court for Malik’s death sentence again on Friday. Monday is when the case will be heard.

In 1989, the JKLF led armed rebellion in Kashmir, which was controlled by India. In response, India started a military operation that killed tens of thousands of people, both civilians and soldiers.

Malik stopped fighting with guns in 1994 and began quietly campaigning for independence. He met with Indian leaders over the next few years.

He was put in jail and spent 14 years there. He said he was beaten there. He was finally caught in 2018, which was several months before New Delhi took away the special status of the held state on August 5, 2019.