On April 9 this year, Gulfisha Fatima, a young Muslim woman from North East Delhi, completed five years in jail without a trial. She was arrested under the harsh UAPA law for protesting peacefully against the CAA-NRC-NPR laws. Supporters say the charges against her are completely false.
From inside her prison cell in Tihar Jail, Gulfisha – lovingly called Gul – began writing poetry. Her poems are full of pain, strength, and hope. They speak of injustice and survival, and they have moved people across India and even in other countries.
Over the past few days, a campaign to free Gulfisha has grown into a powerful movement. Hundreds of people – activists, artists, students, writers, and everyday citizens – are reading her poems out loud, sharing her words online, and creating songs and artwork inspired by her writing. These poems are being translated into languages like Telugu, Bengali, and Punjabi.
Poetry readings were held in cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Kolkata, Dharamshala, and even abroad in Birmingham, Amsterdam, and The Hague.
Actor Ratna Pathak Shah said, “Gulfisha’s words have reminded us of the strength we all carry inside. Her poetry speaks louder than any wall or barbed wire.”
Journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani added, “Her voice has reached far beyond her cell. It has lit a fire in all of us who believe in justice.”
In a letter written from jail, Gulfisha recently said, “I shall celebrate this day also to mark my survival in the most bizarre circumstances of struggle.”
Many well-known names have joined the campaign, including actors Naseeruddin Shah, Swara Bhaskar, Zeeshan Ayyub, filmmakers Shonali Bose and Sanjay Kak, and lawyers and writers like Prashant Bhushan, Amitava Kumar, and Aakar Patel.
The campaign is also calling for the release of other political prisoners arrested under the same UAPA law – including Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and others.
The Free Gulfisha campaign said in a statement: “We demand the repeal of UAPA, a law being misused to silence people who speak for justice. Gulfisha’s words have broken the silence, and now they are setting others free.”
