SRINAGAR ( WNAM MONITORING): An Indian special court on Tuesday sentenced Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, while two of her associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, were sentenced to 30 years in prison under the Indian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh of the specially designated National Investigating Agency Court in Delhi handed down the sentences after hearing arguments about the quantum of punishment.
The three were convicted on Jan. 14, 2026, under various provisions of the anti-terror law and the Indian Penal Code, including “charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and waging war against the state.”
They were the only accused in the case and were convicted together, making Tuesday’s order the first sentencing ruling in the matter.
Andrabi, who founded the all-women separatist organization Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) in 1987, which was later banned by the Indian government, was arrested by the Indian Investigation Agency in April 2018.
Government prosecutors said she was involved in a conspiracy to carry out militant activities and was a member of a banned organization advocating the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India.
The investigation agency had sought life imprisonment for Andrabi, arguing in court that she had “waged war against India” and that the harshest penalty was necessary to deter her from acting against the state.
The case is among a series of high-profile prosecutions of Kashmir leaders in recent years, including that of Yasin Malik, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 under similar charges.
