India ties GPS Tracker Anklet on a Kashmiri political prisoner released on bail

On November 4th, Jammu and Kashmir Police introduced GPS tracker anklets to monitor and surveil people who have been granted bail. This is the first time the anklet has been used by India in any case.

The first person who this technology has been used against is a Kashmiri political prisoner, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, who had been jailed under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). 

In 2020, United Nations special rapporteurs stated that the UAPA, contravenes several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The introduction of the tracker against political prisoners is a new addition to India’s human rights violations. The tracker will enable a heightened and continuous surveillance of released political activists and dissidents.