Ruhullah Mehdi urges India to ensure dignified medical care for Shabbir Shah
June 25, 2025In a strongly-worded letter addressed to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, Member of Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has raised serious concern over the deteriorating health condition of senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah.
The 70-year-old Hurriyat leader, who has been incarcerated since 2017, is suffering from life-threatening prostate cancer and requires at least three surgeries, according to his doctors.
Calling for immediate and dignified medical care in line with domestic and international legal obligations, Mehdi noted that Shah continues to be held without the support of his family and that allegations have surfaced of harassment and degrading treatment during a recent hospital visit on May 1, 2025. Furthermore, his family has reportedly been denied access to his medical records.
Citing India’s obligations under international treaties, the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules and even India’s own Constitution, Mehdi underscored that prisoners must be treated with dignity and humanity, including access to standard healthcare. He referred to similar cases where undertrial prisoners like Gautam Navlakha were granted house arrest on medical grounds, questioning why Shabbir Shah has not been offered the same consideration.
Calling the matter a moral and humanitarian test for India, Mehdi urged the Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure that Shabbir Shah receives appropriate treatment in a cancer care facility and that his family be involved in all related decisions, as allowed by law.
