Family, friends, and human rights advocates are calling for the immediate release of 26-year-old student activist and journalist Rejaz M. Sydeek, who on Friday marked 100 days in jail under charges including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Rejaz Sydeek, a member of the Democratic Students Association (DSA) and an independent journalist from Kerala, was arrested on May 7 by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which cited his alleged “anti-India” and “anti-Indian Army” social media posts during Operation Sindoor.
Authorities later accused him of having links to banned organizations, including the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a claim his family denies.
Rejaz was a freelance contributor for several independent news outlets, including Maktoob. He mostly covered stories related to human rights and the civil liberties of marginalised communities.
The investigation is being handled by the ATS’s Nagpur unit.
“He is not anti-national. He cares deeply for people and society,” Sydeek MB, Rejaz’s father and a retired history teacher, told Maktoob.
He said they put up the Indian flag in their house during Independence Day and Rejaz was part of all of it.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
