Human rights activists urge world to act on worsening rights situation in IIOJK
#KashmirHumanRightsCrises
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, local human rights activists have expressed serious concern over the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in the territory, saying violations have surged since the Narendra Modi-led Indian government revoked Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the activists, in their statements issued in Srinagar, said that the BJP regime has intensified its repressive policies in the occupied territory by employing draconian laws and coercive measures to suppress the Kashmiris’ legitimate demand for their right to self-determination.
They said that since August 2019, more than 1,062 Kashmiris have been killed, over 2,690 injured and at least 34,107 arrested during military operations, crackdowns and arbitrary detentions across IIOJK. They maintained that Indian authorities are increasingly using troops and investigative agencies to intimidate political activists, journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary civilians.
The activists said the deployment of nearly one million Indian troops has turned IIOJK into one of the world’s most heavily militarized regions, where fundamental freedoms remain severely restricted.
They added that arbitrary arrests, house raids, property seizures and restrictions on freedom of expression have become routine tools of repression.
They emphasized that India continues to violate international laws and universally recognized human rights norms in the occupied territory with complete impunity. The persistent human rights abuses, they said, are aimed at crushing the political aspirations of the Kashmiri people and silencing all dissenting voices.
The activists further stated that the ongoing human rights crisis in IIOJK cannot be separated from the decades-old unresolved Kashmir dispute and stressed that a lasting solution lies in the peaceful resolution of the issue in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
They urged the international community, including global human rights organizations and the United Nations, to break its silence over the grave human rights violations being committed in IIOJK and to exert pressure on the Modi regime to end its repressive policies and uphold fundamental freedoms in the territory.
