A black,green and red flag to repression

Abstract

Photojournalist MEHRAN FIRDOUS reports on a crackdown on pro-Palestine sentiment at a procession in Kashmir

KASHMIR’S ANNUAL MUHARRAM observances, which began on 8 July, have taken on a new dimension, after the procession for the eighth day was banned in Srinagar from 1989 until last year. While traditionally marked by mourning for Imam Hussain - the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson - the Shia community used the 2024 gatherings as a platform to express solidarity with the Palestinian people through large-scale demonstrations where flags and symbols were carried in a poignant display of support.

The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has fuelled decades of violence, with a marked increase in suppression of dissent after the 2019 revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status. The pro-Palestinian marches resonate with Kashmiri protesters, who find parallels with their own struggle.

But the authorities’ response has been severe, leading to the detention and questioning of many Shia mourners, and raising freedom of expression concerns.

Authorities in Kashmir filed an open case at Kothi Bagh police station under new criminal codes against mourners for allegedly raising pro-Palestine and pro-Hezbollah placards and flags.

Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a member of the Indian parliament from Kashmir, posted on X that the police had arrested several youths “for raising slogans in favour of the people of Palestine and carrying [the] Palestine flag”. He condemned the arrests as an assault on freedom of expression.

PICTURED: Kashmiri Shia mourners raise placards in support of Palestine during a Muharram rally in the interior of Dal Lake in Srinagar

CREDIT: Mehran Firdous

PICTURED: A Shia mourner watches the Muharram procession in the Dalgate area of Srinagar, with his face painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag

PICTURED: Kashmiri Shia Muslims stage a sit-in protest in support of Palestine during a Muharram rally in Srinagar.

PICTURED: Thousands of Shia mourners march through the centre of Srinagar city, commemorating the eighth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar

PICTURED: A Shia Muslim girl waves a Palestinian flag during a Muharram rally in Srinagar

PICTURED: A Shia Muslim participant in a Muharram procession wears a t-shirt with a message of solidarity for Palestine

CREDIT: Mehran Firdous