Human rights situation is alarming in Indian occupied Kashmir says UN experts

Human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free-fall

18 special UN rapporteurs and other human rights experts issued a joint statement on the situation of human rights in Indian occupied Kashmir. The UN human rights experts urged India to address the "alarming human rights situation" in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) since it was stripped of its autonomy a year ago.   

The independent experts called on other nations to pile the pressure on India if it does not do so. "Urgent action is needed. If India will not take any genuine and immediate steps to resolve the situation, meet their obligations to investigate historic and recent cases of human rights violations and prevent future violations, then the international community should step up."

One year ago on August 05, 2019, Indian PM Modi imposed direct rule in IOK. Modi government revoked the article 370 and 35 A to change to special status of Kashmir and abolished the constitutional and legal protections of kashmiri people.

Since then, "the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free-fall", the UN experts said. "We are particularly concerned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many protestors are still in detention and internet restrictions remain in place."

They said three of their four letters of concern to the Indian government had gone unanswered, while the closure of the restive region´s human rights commission was "particularly concerning.”

The experts said there was no public information on what would happen with the cases the commission had been investigating, including hundreds of "suspected enforced disappearances" dating back to 1989. They urged New Delhi to schedule urgently visits by UN experts, particularly by those investigating torture and disappearances.

The Indian government is not giving permission to the human rights experts to visit the besieged valley. Indian occupation forces have been involved in gross violations of human rights since 1989. Nearly 90,000 Kashmiris have been martyred and thousands arrested and tortured.  

                                                               Rukhsana Manzoor Deputy Editor