Nelson Mandela Peace Seminar unites scholars and activists in solidarity with Kashmiris
Johannesburg: The Kashmir Global Movement (KGM), in collaboration with African human rights advocates, convened the Nelson Mandela Kashmir–Africa–Peace Seminar in Johannesburg, bringing together civil society leaders, scholars, diplomats, and peace activists from across Africa and the global South in solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, delegates adopted a resolution reaffirming universal principles of freedom, dignity, and justice as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the South African Bill of Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The resolution strongly condemned ongoing human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including restrictions on freedom of movement, association, religion, and expression, as well as arbitrary detentions, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, mass rapes, and torture, terming them grave breaches of international law.
The seminar urged the Government of South Africa, the African Union, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and G20 leaders to hold India accountable for its international obligations and called on New Delhi to respect, protect, and fulfil the rights of Kashmiris. Delegates also demanded the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 47 (1948), calling for a free and fair plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir to determine its political future without foreign occupation or interference.
Salman Khan, Chairperson of KGM, said, “The spirit of Nelson Mandela teaches us that freedom anywhere is incomplete until freedom is achieved everywhere. Today, Africa’s moral voice joins the global call for the freedom of Kashmiris.”
The seminar highlighted the shared struggle for human dignity, underscoring that the fight for freedom and justice in Kashmir is a global concern, resonating from Africa to the Indian-administered region.
