IVAN : a story by Noah Henderson (JR 230 NH 01)

IVAN
A story by Noah Henderson

Ivan was born in a small fishing village in Russia. He had two older brothers and an older sister. Life was hardscrabble there, and everyone had their place in sustaining the village. When he was two years old, he began to learn simple chores around the house, like helping to set the table. It wasn’t that he was much help, but it was important he learn his place in the family.

There wasn’t much for him to do, they lived by wood heat and kerosene light, but there was singing and his mother Lara read to him from her trove of books, mostly novels and short stories. She was a deft pianist too, with the large old upright piano filling the small home with sound like a cathedral.

Ivan gradually took on more chores and when he was four, he started school. It was simple enough schoolwork and Ivan progressed well. The school had all ages formed in small groups inside the large classroom. All there was to do for boys was homework and hockey, the latter being a matter of fierce male pride. Because the game was rough and Ivan was slight, rather than hockey he mostly curled up in a corner inside the classroom during recesses, reading. The girls could do crafts inside or play four-square and a genteel form of dodgeball outside.

Ivan did very well in his classwork but suffered from teasing and bullying at the hands of the older boys. When he was ten years old, he went to work on his father’s fishing boat, “The Pyotr,” named after his dad. He continued school and was eminently successful, but the taunting was not stopping and Ivan began closing down and withdrawing into himself. He felt like something was wrong with him because he was not accepted by the other boys. Life in a very small village could be unrelentingly difficult.

Ivan’s father sent him to live with an aunt for a summer when he was twelve and he went to school in her village, but he continued his habit of ignoring the boys and propping himself up where there was good light to read. He made a couple of friends and was able to get by, but he was small, nervous and quiet, keeping mostly to himself. After the summer, Ivan went back home, not much taller or broad-shouldered. Lara and Pyotr (mom and dad) worried about him. His sister was doing fine, but Ivan was holding himself back. One day his mother sent him to see a psychiatrist in Minsk. She packed him food for two days and off he went on the train. He came back saying the psychiatrist had diagnosed him with an “inferiority complex,” and told him that he would have it all his life and hopefully could learn to adapt. He gave his mom the psychiatrist’s letter. Ivan continued working on his dad’s boat and going to the local school. Finally, when he was fourteen, his mother and father had made a big decision.

Would Ivan like to leave, move to America and start a new life which could make better use of his abilities? At first he said no, no. But he kept thinking about it. There was a town in Massachusetts where friends of Lara and Pyotr had moved and they had invited Ivan to live with them and work in their hardware store and auto repair shop. Ivan was a gifted mechanic and liked tools, and he finally saw the situation as a benefit for his life in the long run. He certainly didn’t want to stay home with boys he didn’t like, working on his father’s boat and closely containing those other parts of himself that yearned for nurturing.

When he was fifteen, he said goodbye to his family and got on a train to France, took a boat to London and went on a ship to America. It took all their savings, but Ivan’s parents could think of nothing better than giving him a new life.

Ivan liked his new guardians and their family. He was grateful for the opportunity and pressed himself to do well. But he still missed his mom and dad in Russia. Ivan learned English in a few months and began (?) reading voraciously in English and Russian, though the libraries were full of English books and Russian was a little harder to find. There was a large Russian-speaking contingent in this village so Ivan got to hear stories of home and got to contribute some of his own. Ivan thrived, he loved the hardware store and was getting a fine reputation as an auto mechanic.

The house where he lived was huge, he had his own little apartment and they all had electricity. He couldn’t get over his luck! Ivan wrote often to his parents, and they wrote back.

One night, Ivan had met a girl he liked. They courted for five years and got married. A year later they had their first girl, then another, and finally a boy. When Ivan’s youngest was two, they went to visit his family in Russia. Pyotr and Lara were ecstatic!

Back home in the US, Mikhail, Ivan’s guardian, put Ivan’s name on the sign out front, “Mikhail and Ivan, Hardware and Auto Repair.” Surprise!
Ivan was happy, bursting with pride. He and his wife bought a small house near the shop, and Ivan was beaming. He had forgotten about his inferiority complex. He was not holding himself back any more. He was a man in full with a loving and happy family. Ivan wrote his first novel when he was twenty-three years old.

*author’s note
This is a story of resilience. Ivan had a situation which he could not fix, but he continued to do his best. All he had needed was some support and time to prove himself. Perhaps some of us need that too.

Weekly update: Human rights violations by Indian Army in Indian Occupied Kashmir (JR 196) Vol II

 

Weekly update  225  Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan 2,2024 to, Jan, 8 2024  

1.     2023: Jan 2 2024:  Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 120 innocent Kashmiris including four women and as many boys during the year 2023 in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, 41 of the martyrs were killed in fake encounters and custody. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2024/01/01/indian-troops-martyred-120-kashmiris-in-2023.html

2.     Property attached: Jan 4 2024: In continuation of its anti-Kashmiris’ measures, Narendra Modi-led Indian regime has attached another piece of land measuring 10 Marlas in Gandarbal district, today, under the draconian law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The attached land is situated at Revenue Estate Wakoora belonging to Lateef Ahmad Kambay, a resident of Wakoora, Gandarbal district. This brutal step is part of the ongoing policies of the Modi regime to silence the Kashmiri people from raising their voice for right to self-determination. The victim is is lodged at Central Jail Srinagar, in a fake case. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2024/01/03/modi-regime-attaches-another-civilian-property-in-iiojk.html

3.     One martyred: Jan 6 2024; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth was martyred by troops and paramilitary personnel during a cordon and search operation in Chotigam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2024/01/05/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-shopian-2.html

4.     Sopore massacre; Jan 6 2024; On January 6, 1993, more than 60 Kashmiris fell victim to a brutal massacre carried out by Indian security forces in the Sopore area of Kashmir. Reports from Human Rights Watch detail the acts perpetrated by Indian soldiers, who, in an indiscriminate display of violence, set fire to over 500 buildings in Sopore market. The streets became a battleground as security forces fired recklessly at passers-by, resulting in the tragic loss of more than 60 lives. Al Jazeera further reveals that over 350 shops and 140 houses were engulfed in flames due to the soldiers' relentless firing on innocent Kashmiris. One particularly incident involved the Indian Army opening fire on a bus filled with passengers, subsequently setting it ablaze, leading to the deaths of over 25 individuals https://www.samaa.tv/208737495-three-decades-later-no-justice-for-sopore-massacre-victims

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Human rights violations  

 HR Violations in IIOJK

 HR Violations in Kashmir

(From Jan 1989 till 30 Dec 2023)
Total Killings	96,285
Custodial killings	7,325
Civilian arrested	169,038
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	110,509
Women Widowed	22,972
Children Orphaned	1,07,950
Women gang-raped / Molested	11,263
(Dec 2023)
Total Killings	7
Custodial killings	3
Civilian arrested	97
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	0
Women Widowed	4
Children Orphaned	9
Women gang-raped / Molested	4
(Since 5 Aug 2019)
Total Killings	842
Tortured / Critically Injured	2,396
Civilian arrested	22,099
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	1,113
Women Widowed	64
Children Orphaned	175
Women gang-raped / Molested	1

 

H

R Violations in Kas

 

 

Human rights Kashmir media Service

 

Weekly update  224  Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec 25,2023 to, Dec,  31 2023  

1.   Human rights violations; Dec 27 2023;Some of the civilians picked up by Indian forces’ personnel last week in Poonch district in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have spoken about the harrowing ordeal they went through in custody. Notably, three civilians died after they were mercilessly beaten by the occupation troops during questioning while in custody. Speaking from his hospital bed, one of the men Mohammad Ashraf (52) said he and four others were picked up by Indian forces’ personnel last week after which “they removed our clothes and beat us with lathis and iron rods, and rubbed chilli powder on our wounds”. Ashraf and four others were admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Rajouri on Saturday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/12/26/stripped-beaten-smeared-with-chilli-powder-on-wounds-poonch-civilians-recount-ordeal-in-indian-army-custody.html 

 

Weekly update  220 to 223  Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec 5,2023 to, Dec,  25 2023  

1.  Custodial killings; Dec 24 2023; The families of three tribal men from Poonch have alleged that they were tortured to death by the Army after the attack in which five soldiers lost their lives earlier this week. The alleged custodial killing of the three civilians identified as Safeer Hussain, 37, Mohammed Showkat, 26 and Shabir Ahmed, 32, all residents of Topa Mastandara village in Poonch district, had triggered protests on Friday. https://thewire.in/security/civilians-killed-in-the-aftermath-of-poonch-terror-attack-were-tortured-to-death-allege-families

2. Four martyred: Dec 24 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri civilians in custody in Poonch district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops arrested Safeer Hussain, Mohammed Showkat and Shabbir Ahmed during a cordon and search operation and killed them in custody in Bafliaz area of Poonch district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/12/23/indian-troops-martyr-three-civilians-in-custody-in-poonch.html

3 Custodial killings; Dec 25 2023; The families of three tribal men from Poonch have alleged that they were tortured to death by the Army after the attack in which five soldiers lost their lives earlier this week The alleged custodial killing of the three civilians identified as Safeer Hussain, 37, Mohammed Showkat, 26 and Shabir Ahmed, 32, all residents of Topa Mastandara village in Poonch district, had triggered protests on Friday. https://thewire.in/security/civilians-killed-in-the-aftermath-of-poonch-terror-attack-were-tortured-to-death-allege-families

3 Torture; Dec 25 2023; A day after three civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district were killed under as yet unexplained circumstances, the sarpanch of their village and the relatives of two of them have said they are among the villagers seen on video being brutally beaten and tortured by unidentified soldiers. Family members and neighbours of Safeer Hussain (48), Mohammad Showkat (28) and Shabbir Ahmad (25) have told The Wire that  videos in which the men are seen pleading with uniformed personnel and begging for their lives has traumatised them. https://thewire.in/rights/poonch-civilians-killed-are-among-the-men-seen-in-video-being-tortured-by-soldiers-sarpanch-confirms

4 One martyred; Dec 25 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Jammu district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Akhnoor area of the district. The Indian troops also on Saturday martyred one youth in the same area. Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen killed a former Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohammad Shafi Mir in Gantmulla area of Baramulla district on Sunday morning. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/12/24/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-former-police-officer-killed-in-iiojk.html

  

 

Human rights Kashmir media Service

Weekly update  219  Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Nov 28,2023 to, Dec,  4 2023  

1.     One martyred: Dec 1 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one innocent Kashmiri youth, today, in Pulwama district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Arihal area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/30/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4.html

  2. Torture: Dec 4 2023:: As the world observes International Day of Persons with Disabilities, today, India continues to use torture systematically to disable the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.A report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, today, said brutal and inhuman torture techniques, employed by Indian troops, paramilitary forces and police personnel, have left thousands of Kashmiris disabled for life, including over 200 losing eyesight in one or both eyes in the occupied territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/12/03/india-uses-torture-systematically-to-disable-kashmiris.html

 

Weekly update  217 & 218 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Nov 14,2023 to, Nov,  27 2023  

1.  Two martyred; Nov 16 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Uri area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-3.html

2 Six martyred: Nov 18 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred six innocent Kashmiri youth, today, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred five youth identified as Sameer Ahmed Sheikh, Danish Ahmed Thokar, Hunzallah Yaqoob Shah, Ubaid Ahmed Padder and Yasir Butt during a violent cordon and search operation in Samnoo area of Kulgam district. The troops also destroyed two residential houses by using chemical substance through a drone in the area. The troops martyred another youth in a fake encounter in the garb of a search operation at Behrote Budhal in Rajouri district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/17/indian-troops-martyr-six-innocent-youth-in-occupied-kashmir.html

3. Children: Nov 21 2023:  Indian forces in their unabated acts of state terrorism and gross human rights violations martyred 919 children during the last thirty-five years in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Children’s Day, today, said the children are the worst victims of India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. It revealed that 919 children are among the 96,274 people martyred by the troops and paramilitary and police personnel since January 01, 1989 till date. The report said that the killing of civilians by the forces rendered 107,934 children orphaned in the occupied territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/20/india-martyred-919-children-in-last-thirty-five-years-in-iiojk.html

4 one martyred: Nov 24 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today, taking the number of the martyred youth to two since yesterday.According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during the ongoing cordon and search operation in Kalakot area of the district. The troops martyred one youth in the same area, yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/23/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-kashmiri-youth-in-rajouri-2.html

 

5 Kashmiri women: Nov 26 2023: The world is observing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, today, while women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to be haunted by Indian state terrorism, injustice, atrocities, fear, agony and howls of pain inflicted by India. According to a report released by Kashmir Media Service in connection with the day, India has designed its own legal license by draconian laws to target the sanctity and dignity of the Kashmiri women. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/25/2352-kashmiri-women-martyred-11259-molested-by-indian-troops-since-1989.html

 

  

Weekly update  216 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Oct 31 2023 to, Nov, , 6 2023  

1.        One martyred; Nov 10 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth identified as Maysar Ahmad Dar during a cordon and search operation in Kathohalan area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/11/09/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-5.html

 

  

Weekly update  214 and 215 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Oct 17 2022 to, Oct , 30 2023  

1.        Bijbehara  massacre; Oct 23 2023; Bijbehara carnage will remain one of the heinous crimes by Indian troops in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said over 50 innocent Kashmiris were martyred in the Bijbehara area of Islamabad district on October 22, 1993, when the personnel of Indian Border Security Force opened fire on the peaceful demonstrators, who were protesting against the Indian military siege of Srinagar’s Hazratbal shrine It said 30 years on but the Bijbehara martyrs’ families are still awaiting justice https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/10/22/bijbehara-carnage-will-remain-one-of-heinous-crimes-by-indian-troops-in-iiojk.html

2.        Two martyred; Oct 24 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter in Baramulla district. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were martyred by the personnel of Indian army and Border Security Force during a cordon and search operation in a fake encounter in Uri area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/10/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-2.html

3.        Five martyred; Oct 27 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five innocent Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter in Kupwara district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today.The youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/10/26/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara.html

Weekly update  213 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Oct 10 2022 to, Oct , 16 2023  

1.   Two martyred; Oct 11 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Shopian district. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops and paramilitary forces martyred two youth in a fake encounter during a cordon and search operation in Alshipora area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/10/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-a-fake-encounter-in-shopian.html

Weekly update  212 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Oct 3 2022 to, Oct , 9 2023  

1.  Two martyred; Oct 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district. The youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Kujjar area of the district. The martyred youth have been identified as Basit Amin Butt from Frisal and Saqib Ahmad Lone from Hawoora, Kulgam. Meanwhile, a Kashmiri man Sahil Bashir Dar, resident of Wanihama, Islamabad district was injured in the firing by unknown persons. He has been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/10/04/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kulgam-2.html

 

Weekly update  211 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Sep 26  2022 to, Oct , 2 2023  

1.         Two martyred; Oct 1 2023: According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a fake encounter in the garb of cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a fake encounter in the garb of cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/30/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-fake-encounter-in-kupwara.html

2.         Human rights: Oct 1 2023; “A global context of shrinking civic space is making it increasingly difficult to properly document, report and respond to cases of reprisals, which means that the number is likely much higher,” said Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris in her presentation to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report mentions the situation of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a union of various non-profit organizations based in Srinagar, and the situation of the Centre for Social Development in Manipur among other NGOs that faced reprisals. “The JKCCS, its chair, Mr. Khurram Parvez, and other members of the coalition, were reportedly subject to travel bans, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention on counter-terrorism charges in relation to their cooperation with the United Nations,” the report said. https://maktoobmedia.com/latest-news/india-among-40-countries-where-people-faced-reprisals-for-cooperating-with-un-on-human-rights/

Weekly update  210 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Sep 19  2022 to, Sep , 25 2023  

1.   Two martyred; Sep 20 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir Islmabad district. The youth were killed by the troops during continued cordon and search operation in Gadole Kokernag area of the district. The Additional Director General of Police Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar, on Tuesday claimed that two militants including Uzair Khan have been killed in Gadole gunfight. Additionally, another lifeless body was found.   https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/19/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kashmir.html

 

Weekly update  208 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Sep 12  2022 to, Sep , 18 2023  

1.  Two martyred; Sep 14 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Rajouri  , the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Khawa area of the district. This killing raised the number of the martyred youth to two in the area since yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-kashmiri-youth-in-rajouri.html

2 Three martyred; Sep 17 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, toda. The troops martyred the youth during a so-called cordon and search operation in Uri area of Baramulla district. The troops also continued their violent search operations in different areas of Islamabad, Pulwama, Kulgam, Rajouri and Poonch districts. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/16/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-a-fake-encounter-in-iiojk.html

3 Youth martyred; Sep 18 2023;  A charred body of a Kashmiri youth, martyred by Indian troops, was found in South Kashmir’s Islamabad district of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The body was recovered in Gadool area of the district where a massive cordon and search operation continued on the fifth consecutive day on Sunday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/17/charred-body-of-youth-recovered-in-kokarnag-kashmir.html

 

Weekly update  207 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Sep 5  2022 to, Sep , 11 2023  

1. EU on Kashmir ; Sep 5 2023;The head of the separatist Kashmir Council EU, Ali Raza Syed on Monday claimed in Brussels that the European Union will raise the issue of so-called rights violation in Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 Summit here. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the European Union has also reportedly said that he will share the concerns with the Indian counterparts on appropriate occasions. He also holds positions at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. https://www.dailypioneer.com/2023/india/eu-will-raise-rights-violation-in-j-k-during-g20--kashmir-council-eu-head-ali-raza.html

2 Two martyred; Sep 7 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Poonch district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.The youth were martyred during a cordon and search operation of the Indian troops in the Mandi area of the district. The search operation was going on in the area till last reports came in. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/06/indian-troops-m Thune- justice massacre ; Sep  2023; justice continues to elude Kangan the victim families of gory Thune-Kangan massacre for the past 33 years whose near and dear ones lose their lives at the hands of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Thune Kangan area on this day in 1990 in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Fifteen people, including Eng Tariqul Islam, Ghulam Muhammad Wani, Frooq Ahmed Lone, Parvaiz Ahmed, driver and conductor of the passenger bus, were martyred and a dozen were injured when the bus, in which they were travelling, was fired and burnt by the Indian BSF personnel. The victim families are still awaiting justice while the perpetrators of this heinous crime continued their state terrorism with black law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/10/years-on-victim-families-of-thune-kangan-massacre-await-justice.html

 

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 Human rights violations  

 HR Violations in IIOJK

 

 

 

(From Jan 1989 till 31 Aug 2023)
Total Killings	96,233
Custodial killings	7,297
Civilian arrested	168,336
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	110,500
Women Widowed	22,963
Children Orphaned	1,07,914
Women gang-raped / Molested	11,259
(Aug 2023)
Total Killings	8
Custodial killings	0
Civilian arrested	134
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	0
Women Widowed	3
Children Orphaned	11
Women gang-raped / Molested	0
(Since 5 Aug 2019)
Total Killings	800
Tortured / Critically Injured	2,365
Civilian arrested	21,399
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	1,104
Women Widowed	55
Children Orphaned	139
Women gang-raped / Molested	129

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Human rights Kashmir media Service

Weekly update  207 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Aug 29 2022 to, Sep ,  2023  

1. Civilian martyred; Aug 30 2023;  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a 42-year-old civilian in Kupwara district in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the civilian identified as Mukhtar Ahmad Shah during a cordon and search operation on the intervening night of 28-29 Augustin Haridal area of Teetwal, Karnah area of the district. The deceased’s body was found in Pingla Haridal village https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/29/indian-troops-martyr-civilian-in-kupwara.html

2 August cost of struggle; Sep 2 2023;  Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred eight Kashmiris in the last month of August in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, the Kashmiris were martyred in different fake encounters while three women were widowed and eleven children were orphaned by the Indian troops. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/09/01/indian-troops-martyr-eight-kashmiris-in-august.html

 

 

 

 

Weekly update  206 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Aug 22 2022 to, Aug , 29 2023  

1.  UN on Kashmir; Aug 22 2023 ; Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, raised the alarm about the nearly decade-long detention of Gokarakonda Naga "GN" Saibaba, a long-standing defender of the rights of minorities in India. "India's persistent detention of human rights defender GN Saibaba is an inhumane and senseless act," the independent expert's statement said. The expert warned that Saibaba's health "has severely deteriorated in detention."

"He should be released." https://tribune.com.pk/story/2431834/india-must-end-inhumane-detention-of-activist-un-rights-expert

2 KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR  July 1, 2023 - July 31, 2023  ; Aug 22 2023; In July 2023, Indian authorities continued to commit grave human rights violations in Indian administered Kashmir (IAK). Indian forces killed at least twelve people in IAK, including an infant  Rohingya refugee. The Jammu & Kashmir administration continued to crack down on free expression,  including by continuing to terminate public sector employees who purportedly hold dissenting or  disfavored views and eliminating celebrated Kashmiri literature from university curricula. The  administration also continued to target human rights defenders and dissenters in IAK, including through  the cancellation of passports. The administration continued to escalate forced demographic change in  the region, including through the announced distribution of public land to 199,000 people. Numerous Kashmiri journalists, human rights defenders, political activists and dissenters continue to be  arbitrarily detained. Indian authorities continue to use the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978  (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as tools for persecution, including through  preventative, prolonged and repeated detentions. In a case emblematic of the repression of Kashmiri  journalists, Aasif Sultan, arbitrarily detained on August 27, 2018, remains illegally imprisoned. As of the  date of this publication, Sultan has been detained for 1,814 days. In a case emblematic of the repression  of Kashmiri human rights defenders and civil society, Khurram Parvez, arbitrarily detained on November  22, 2021, remains illegally imprisoned in a maximum-security facility in New Delhi

Weekly update  205 Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Aug 15 2022 to, Aug , 22 2023  

1.  One martyred; Aug 19 2023; Another innocent Kashmiri youth has fallen to the bullets of Indian troops in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The youth was injured due to the firing of the troops during a cordon and search operation in Budhal area of Rajouri district on the 5th of this month. The troops had martyred another youth in the area on the same day. The injured youth later succumbed to his injuries and his body was recovered in Dhakikot area of Reasi district, today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/18/one-more-youth-falls-to-indian-bullets-in-iiojk.html

2 Rape as weapon of war; Aug 20 2023; Political experts and analysts in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have said that India is using rape as a military tactic to punish and humiliate the Kashmiris for challenging its illegal occupation of their homeland. The political experts and analysts in their interviews and statements in Srinagar said molestation of women during cordon and search operations in IIOJK is being used as a tool by Indian troops to terrorize the entire population. They said 11,256 cases of rape, gang-rape and molestation by Indian troops have been reported in IIOJK since 1990. The political experts and analysts referred to the Kunanposhpora mass rape as an example of targeting of the Kashmiri women by the occupation troops. Indian troops had gang-raped around 100 Kashmiri women in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the intervening night of February 23 and 24 in 1991. They said that rape is sanctioned as a matter of official policy in IIOJK. They pointed out that the Kashmiri women are facing unending trauma due to sexual violence at the hands of Indian forces’ personnel. The political experts and analysts maintained that the international rights’ bodies have documented many cases of rape and gang rape by Indian troops in IIOJK. They deplored that not a single Indian soldier or policeman involved in these crimes has been punished so far due to the impunity given to the Indian forces under draconian laws. They said that the international community must wake up to contain the sexual violence being used by India as war tactic in IIOJK. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/19/india-using-rape-as-a-military-tactic-to-humiliate-kashmiris-for-challenging-its-rule.html

Weekly update  204: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Aug 8 2022 to, Aug , 15 2023  

1.  Arundhati Roy on Indian women; Aug 13 2023; Renowned Indian author and commentator Arundhati Roy has expressed serious concern at the rise in violence against women – that too encouraged by women who look at the faith of the perpetrators to decide whether to support them or not. Arundhati Roy said, “Today we are in a situation where women are justifying rape, where women are telling men to rape other women. I am talking about not just Manipur. I am talking about so many cases – whether it’s in Hathras, whether it’s in Jammu and Kashmir. “Depending on who is raping who, the women stand up for that (particular) community. This means we have gone psychotic. There is something very wrong,” she said, calling upon every citizen to stand up before it is too late. The Booker Prize winner said, “You have a situation where the police are handing over women to a mob to be raped. You have a situation where an officer of the Railway Protection Force is walking down bogies shooting Muslims and saying you must vote for Modi.” She was referring to the July 31 incident in which RPF constable Chetan Singh gunned down three Muslim men and a senior officer in a Jaipur-Mumbai train. Arundhati Roy cautioned about accepting the theories being spun that the RPF constable was mentally unstable. “And it is a mistake to think this person is mad. This person is sane. This person is absorbing all the propaganda day and night that’s coming out at him.” She drew attention to how a member of the Muslim community would feel in a similar situation. “I am just not talking about me. Imagine if you are a Muslim. You might have a parking problem that might end in your death, in your lynching. You might be going home from Delhi to Aligarh to see your parents, and you might end up dead. This is the country we are living in now.”  Arundhati Roy described the unabated violence in Manipur as “ethnic cleansing” in which the Indian Central government is complicit. “It’s a kind of ethnic cleansing because the Centre is complicit, the state is partisan, the security forces are split between one partisan lot, the police, and the others with no chain of command,” she noted, with a word of caution as to how other states need to be careful. “From Manipur to Haryana to all the other states that are going to stand for elections… it’s like a fuse is being lit,” she warned, appealing to everyone to stand up for peace and harmony. She took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not doing enough to end the Manipur violence. “There’s a war, women are being raped, paraded naked, colonies are being burnt. Muslims are having cross marks on their doors, they are fleeing, and he is tweeting ‘I had appam last night for dinner’ https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/11/arundhati-roy-expressed-serious-concern-at-rise-in-violence-against-women-in-india.html

  

 

Weekly update  203: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Aug 1 2022 to, Aug , 7 2023  

1.   One martyred: Aug 6 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Khaws area of the district.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/05/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-rajouri.html

2. One martyred: Aug 7 2023 Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmiri, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Amrohi area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/08/06/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-kupwara.html 

Weekly update  202: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuL 25 2022 to, JUL , 31 2023  

1       Human rights; July 25 2023: Indian forces continued state terrorism and gross human rights violations during the so-called cordon and search operations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.A report released by Kashmir Media Service maintained that the Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel martyred 10 Kashmiris and arrested over a hundred people including Hurriyat activists in last two weeks in different districts of the territory.“Gross and systematic human rights violations are being perpetrated by Indian troops on daily basis in IIOJK. Modi should know that no amount of Indian brutalization will be able to subjugate the Kashmiris. World history is witness to the fact that freedom movements can never be suppressed through oppression,” it said. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/24/indian-troops-martyred-10-kashmiris-arrested-over-hundred-in-two-weeks.html

2       One martyred: July 26 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a youth in Samba district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The youth was martyred by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Ramgarh area of the district late Monday night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/25/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-samba.html

3       Women disappearances: July 29 2023: In a disturbing revelation, Indian government has admitted the disappearance of around 10,000 innocent women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Srinagar-based Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons has documented custodial disappearance of over 8,000 innocent Kashmiris after they were picked up by Indian Army, paramilitary and police personnel since January 1989. Many of those are believed to be killed in fake encounters by Indian troops in different areas of IIOJK. Human rights defenders and organizations are of the opinion that the unnamed mass graves scattered across the occupied territory contain the bodies of the victims of these fake encounter, Now the Indian Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra, told Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament, the other day that 9,765 women in the categories above and below 18 have gone missing in occupied Kashmir since 2019. He informed that in these three years, there were 1148 cases of missing girls below the age of 18 and 8,617 women aged above 18. Political experts say that mental torture, arrests, interrogation, questioning and harassment during crackdown operations and house raids by the Indian forces’ personnel and sleuths of dreaded agencies like National Investigation Agency and State Investigation Agency in Kashmir Valley and Muslim areas of the Jammu region are the main reasons behind the disturbing phenomenon. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/28/indian-govt-admits-disappearance-of-around-10000-women-in-iiojk.html

Weekly update  201: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuL 18 2022 to, JUL , 24 2023  

1       Two martyred: July 18 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today. The youth were martyred by the troops during a violent cordon and search operation in Poonch district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/17/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-poonch-district.html

2       Four martyred: July 19 22023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four more youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today, raising the toll to six during the past 24 hours. The youth were martyred by the troops during a violent cordon and search operation in Surankote area of the district. On Monday, the troops had martyred two youth during the operation in the general area of Poonch district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/18/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-poonch-district.html

3       Two martyred: July 20 2023: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today. The troops martyred these youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Machil area of Kupwara district.These fresh killings raised the number of the martyred youth to eight since Monday. The troops martyred two youth in Poonch district on Monday and four others in the same district on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Indian troops shot at and critically injured two forest department employees Jahangir Ahmad and Imran Yousuf when they were patrolling during the night in Sonabanjar area of Pulwama district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/19/indian-troops-martyr-2-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-8-since-monday.html

Weekly update  199 and 200 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuL 4 , 2022 to, JUL , 18, 2023   

1       Martyrs’ Day; July 14 2023;  Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, in Pakistan and the world over, observed the Martyrs’ Day, today, to pay homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931 and all other Kashmiri martyrs. According to Kashmir Media Service, the shops remained closed in Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal and several parts of the Srinagar city in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP occupation authorities did not allow people to visit Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar to pay homage to the martyrs of 13 July 1931 who are buried there. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/13/kashmiris-observe-martyrs-day-3.html

 

 

  

Weekly update  198: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuN 27 , 2022 to, JUL , 4, 2023   

1       June 2023 cost of struggle for freedom; July 2 2023; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred seventeen (17) Kashmiris including a woman during the last month of June. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, of those one was martyred by the troops in a fake encounter or in custody. During the month, at least six people were injured after Indian troops and police personnel used brute force on peaceful protesters while twenty-four civilians, mostly youth and political activists, were arrested under black laws, Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA during at least two hundred twenty-three (223) cordon and search operations in the month, the report added. The troops also damaged a house while a woman was molested in the month. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/07/01/indian-troops-martyred-17-kashmiris-in-june.html

Weekly update  197 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuN 20 , 2022 to, JUN , 26, 2023   

1       Women and Kashmir: June 20 2023: Women are the worst victims of Indian forces’ barbarities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as New Delhi is using rape as a weapon to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination. A report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, today, revealed that Indian forces’ personnel had sexually assaulted over 11,259 women during the last 34 years in the occupied territory. It said India is deliberately targeting women in IIOJK to humiliate and terrorize the Kashmiris. It said like Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double rape and murder, and rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua depict the brutal face of Indian forces deployed in the occupied terriory. Around a hundred women were gang-raped by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of February 23, 1991. Two women, Aasiya and Neelofar of Shopian, were abducted by Indian men in uniform on May 29, 2009, gang-raped and subsequently killed in custody. Their bodies were recovered from a shallow stream in the area the next morning. An 8-year-old Muslim girl, Aasifa Bano was repeatedly gang raped by Indian policemen and communal Hindus in Kathua area of Jammu in January 2018. The report maintained that so far not a single Indian soldier or policeman involved in such heinous crimes in the occupied territory had been punished. Over two dozen women are facing illegal detentions and mental torture in jails. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/19/india-using-sexual-violence-as-tool-to-suppress-kashmiris-struggle.html

2        Women in Kashmir: June 24 2023: As the world is observing the International Widows Day, today, Kashmiri women continue to suffer at the hands of Indian troops, police and dreaded agencies in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Widows Day, today, the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,960 women widowed since January 1989 till date as their husbands were martyred by Indian troops and police personnel in fake encounters and in custody. It said around 2,500 women have been forced to live as half widows during the past 35 years. The women whose husbands were subjected to custodial disappearance after arrest by Indian army and police are referred to as half widows and several of them died due to mental tension. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/23/22960-women-widowed-in-iiojk-since-1989.html

3       Four martyred: June 24 2023;  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Machil area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/23/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-kupwara.html

4       LoC violations; June 25 2023; Two civilians embraced martyrdom  on Saturday while one other was “critically injured” as the Indian Army opened “indiscriminate fire” at a group of shepherds at the Line of Control (LoC), the army’s media relations wing said. n February 2021, both countries had recommitted themselves to the 2003 ceasefire agreement and agreed to address the “core issues” that could undermine peace and stability Today, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement, “Today, at 11:55 hours, Indian Army, in a display of its usual inhumane approach towards innocent Kashmiris, opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in Sattwal Sector. The ISPRidentified the martyred as Obaid Qayyum, 22, and Muhammad Qasim, 55. “Both shaheeds (martyrs) are residents of village Bara Dari Tetrinote, Tehsil Hajira, District Poonch,’ it added. he statement further said: “Driven by a newfound geo-political patronage, Indian forces have embarked on a plan to take innocent lives to satiate their false narratives and concocted allegations Ilyas pointed out that it was not the first time that India had resorted to such a horrendous act in one or the other way. There are reported incidents when they shot at and killed the innocent inadvertent crossers from AJK labelling them as infiltrators to sell to the international community New Delhi’s false narrative of cross border terrorism. Pakistan must counter such acts and allied propaganda with full force,” he tweeted. The ceasefire violation also drew severe condemnation from Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s leadership, including Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and his predecessor Sardar Tanveer Ilyas    https://www.dawn.com/news/1761520/two-martyred-one-injured-after-indian-forces-open-fire-at-shepherds-at-loc-ispr

5        

 

  

Weekly update  196 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuN 13 , 2022 to, JUN , 19, 2023   

1       Two martyred: June 14 2023; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district on Tuesday afternoon. The youth were martyred by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Dobanar Machhal area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/13/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kupwara-today.html

2       Five martyred: June 1 2023:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five youth in Kupwara district, today. Indian troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Jumgund area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/16/indian-troops-martyr-five-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara.htmlC

3       Children in Kashmir; June 19 2023; As Father’s Day is being celebrated worldwide, today, thousands of fathers in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have lost their sons at the hands of brutal Indian troops. The unending India’s state terrorism over the past 34 years has rendered 107,903 children orphaned and 22,960 women widowed in the territory. In IIOJK, hundreds of youth have lost and damaged their eyesight due to the firing of lethal pellets by Indian troops and paramilitary forces on peaceful protesters since 2010. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/18/indian-state-terrorism-renders-107903-children-orphaned-in-iiojk.html 

Weekly update  195 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  JuN 6 , 2022 to, JUN , 11, 2023   

1.                Kashmiri  Children and Indian army : Jun 5 2023: Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 913 children during the last 34 years. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, today (June 04), revealed that 913 children were among the 96,199 Kashmiris martyred by Indian troops from January 01, 1989 till date. The report said that the killing of civilians by the troops rendered 107,903 children orphaned in the territory during the period. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/04/children-continue-to-bear-brunt-of-indian-brutalities-in-iiojk.html

2.    Google Bard; write-up on human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir; June 8 2023; Human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir have been a persistent issue for decades. The Indian government has been accused of using excessive force against civilians, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances. These abuses have been carried out by the Indian Army, the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Indian government has denied these allegations, but there is overwhelming evidence to support them. Human rights groups have documented thousands of cases of human rights abuses in Kashmir, and the United Nations has repeatedly called on India to end the abuses. One of the most common forms of human rights abuse in Kashmir is extrajudicial killing. The Indian Army has been accused of killing civilians without trial, often in reprisal attacks for militant attacks. In 2010, the US State Department reported that the Indian Army had killed at least 128 civilians in Kashmir in the previous year. Another common form of human rights abuse in Kashmir is torture. The Indian Army has been accused of torturing civilians in custody, often in an attempt to extract information or confessions. In 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Méndez, visited Kashmir and found that there was "credible evidence" that the Indian Army had used torture against civilians.The Indian government has also been accused of enforcing disappearances in Kashmir. Enforced disappearances are when a person is arrested or abducted by government forces and then held incommunicado, often for years. In 2010, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reported that there were at least 1,100 cases of enforced disappearances in Kashmir.The human rights abuses in Kashmir have had a devastating impact on the people of the region. They have created a climate of fear and distrust, and they have made it difficult for people to live their lives in peace. The Indian government must take immediate steps to end these abuses and to bring the perpetrators to justice. In addition to the abuses mentioned above, the Indian government has also been accused of restricting freedom of speech, assembly, and movement in Kashmir. The government has imposed curfews, banned public gatherings, and restricted access to the internet. These restrictions have made it difficult for people to express their views, to organize protests, and to access information. The human rights situation in Kashmir is a serious concern. The Indian government must take immediate steps to end the abuses and to restore the rights of the people of Kashmir.

 

Weekly update  194 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  May 16 , 2022 to, May , 21, 2023   

1.                The Human Rights Situation in the Indian Sub Continent. by Pon Chandran — 03/05/2023 :I come from a Tamil culture which proclaims to the world யா A ஊேர யாவ¶A ேகளnJ “Yaadhum Oore Yavarum KeLir”, meaning “the world is one and all are my kith and kin”. I also come from a sub continent which is proud of its diversity. Diversity in languages, cultures, nationalities, faiths, regions and religions. Whereas, the present ruling establishment in India has indulged in forceful homogenisation, rather Hinduisation of culture, education and religious faiths. This is against the rights of religious, linguistic and other minorities. The indiscriminate centralisation of the administration has eroded the federal structure of the polity. Further, corporatisation and privatisation of every social domains like education, health, drinking water etc have destroyed the sustenance of the marginalised. Corporatisation has also led to the indiscriminate exploitation of the resources and destruction of Nature and thus threatening the very existence of vulnerable communities like indigenous people, and the socially and economically oppressed. All those who resist corporatization are dubbed as the enemy of the State and literally war is waged against the people who resist, thus entailing in large scale displacement, disappearances, fake encounters, torture, rape, sexual violation, custodial deaths and denial of their livelihood. This is the stark reality in the large part of Central India, North Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir. The recent report of terror unleashed on the people of Burkapal and Planar, including sexual harassment is disquieting.The North Eastern States and J&K are still reeling under the atrocities and terror perpetrated with immunity by the Armed Forces, emboldened by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. The legendary human rights defender Irom Sharmila went on an indefinite fast for fourteen years, to repeal this draconian law, but of no avail. The right to dissent, the core and hall mark of democracy, is obliterated by liquidating the very personalities who express their dissent. You would be wondering whether this is possible in a democracy! Well, while the civil society knows the lineage of the assailants, they go scot free as “unknown assailants”. The recent martyrdom of Gowri Lankesh (55), a renowned woman journalist and a social activist from Karnataka is a case in point. She was a great critique of the right wing hindutva politics and was a valiant defender of human rights. Prof.M.M.Kalburgi, another progressive writer from Karnataka, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, a renowned rationalist and Communist leader Govind Pansare of Maharashtra were similarly gunned down. A BJP MLA from Chickmangalur has gone on record stating that “Had not Gowri criticised BJP, she would have been alive today”. They were assassinated for ventilating their conscience. All the four opposed the undemocratic trait of the ruling Hindutva ideology. The assassination manifest the intolerance and hate campaign harboured by the right wing political groups. It also manifests the crude culture of communal fascism nurtured directly and/or indirectly by the present ruling establishment. Human Rights defenders are being jailed under draconian laws. Dr.G.N.Saibaba, a professor from Delhi University and who is at the mercy of wheelchair for his basic mobility, is branded as a dreadful Maoist and callously incarcerated for life with three other students from JNU for “waging war against the state”. Earlier, Dr. Binayak Sen, a medical doctor and Vice President of People’s Union for Civil Liberties, incarcerated for similar charges, and let free on bail after a protracted legal battle. Mr.President, India is a signatory of ICCPR and CAT. Whereas, the vital covenants of these protocols are observed in breach. Goondas Act, was originally conceived to prevent and punish Bootleggers, drug offenders, immoral tragic offenders, forest offenders, sand offenders, slum grabbers and video pirates and such, habitual economic and social offenders. But this is being wielded against social and political activists and human rights defenders. Goondas Act was clamped against Thirumurugan Gandhi of May 17th Movement and three others for holding Candle light vigil to commemorate civilian victims in the last phase of the Eelam War. Similarly Valarmathi, a student of journalism and social activist was arrested under goondas act. She was the first woman and student activist to be arrested under the draconian law, for distribution of awareness pamphlets among students. She was discharged recently after 58 days of imprisonment. This is a blatant denial of freedom of expression and abuse of draconian law against political activists. Unlawful Assembly Prevention Act, (UAPA) and National Security Act are a couple of other draconian laws used unreasonably against social movements. It may be noted that as per the National Crime Records Prison status for the year 2015, more than 55 percent of the under trials across the country are either Muslims, Dalits or Tribals, who together constitute 39% of the total population. This only reveals how the police and judicial system is skewed against the marginalised. While we are proud of our traditions, we are also ashamed of having inherited social apartheid, which runs into several centuries. While untouchability have been outlawed, and transitional justice has been guaranteed by the founders of the constitution, there are attempts to belittle social justice, under the garb of uniformity and merit through administrative means, which serves only the corporate interest. The proposed New Education Policy and NEET, National Eligibility Entrance Test is one such instance. The system which is inherently unfair is being imposed on all the medical aspirants denying the spirit of federalism and social justice enshrined in the constitution. Ariyalur Anitha, a medical aspirant from the most oppressed community, committed suicide. In fact, the unjust system killed her, despite her excellent performance in the qualifying examination, failed to make it in NEET, as she could not afford to catch up with the expensive coaching required for it. The imposition of NEET is only an intrusion into the governance of the State governments and thus jeopardising the self determination and eventually the social justice. People’s movement against environmentally destructive programmes like Nuclear reactors, extraction of methane and hydrocarbon gases , indiscriminate quarrying of sand, and minerals are put down heavily invoking oppressive laws entailing in indefinite incarceration of large section of protestors, thus denying their liberties and freedom of expression. The independent India has incarcerated its own citizens under the laws of sedition more than what British Raj did during the Indian freedom movement! The continuing farmers suicide, owing to the monsoon failure and lack of adequate support price manifests the rulers’ indifference and neglect of the plight of the farmers. More than 160 farmers committed suicide and died of acute stress, in Tamil Nadu alone, during the last six months, caused because of failure of crops and insurmountable debts. The right of Tamil fisher folks for fishing near international waters are under threat and are being arrested and their fishing boats and nets seized and sometimes the fisher folks are killed by Srilankan Navy. More than 600 Tamil fishermen have been killed by the Srilankan Navy during the last decade without any justice. The plight of the Srilankan Tamil refugees in India is pathetic. When the Tibetan refugees get relatively a favourable treatment, the Tamil refugees are discriminated against denying basic amenities, under the guise that India is not a signatory of UN convention on refugees. Custodial deaths continues unabated. Dinesh Kumar, 20, S/o Nagaraj, Kumbakonam Taluk, Tamil Nadu was arrested by Tirupur north Police station on 22nd Aug, and was admitted in a private hospital on 23rd night reportedly in a critical condition after interrogation, perhaps using third degree methods. He was declared dead on 26th Aug. With the intervention of human rights organisations, inquest by a Judicial Magistrate was ordered. The State Human Rights Commission suo motu took cognisance of the ‘custodial death’ and ordered for a thorough probe. This came to surface owing to the intervention of the human rights bodies, whereas one is constrained to believe that many such custodial deaths are buried silently. The growing vigilante groups not only determine what one should speak, but also dictate what to eat, what to wear and what to see with whom to be and whom to love. Pehlu Khan was lynched to death by Gau Rakshaks when he was transporting Bullocks bought from cattle market. The BJP Chief Minister of Chattisgarh Raman Singh has threatened to “hang anyone who harms a cow”! Consenting to cow slaughter, in India today, is a bigger crime than causing death to humans! The amendment to Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCAA) is not only unconstitutional, violating Article 48 of the Constitution, but also un-Hindu and against the cultural and sustainable practices of religious minorities and Dalits. The cliche, justice delayed is justice denied, is still haunting the Srilankan Tamils more than eight years after the end of the genocidal war. Neither the objective of Self Determination for which the Eelam Tamils were constrained to launch their struggle nor justice done against the genocide, war crimes and the crimes against the humanity the Eelam Tamils had to undergo during the last several decades. The continuing structural genocide against the Eelam Tamils is a cause for concern. Sinhalisation, Budhistisation, militarisation of Tamil areas continue unabated. The genocidal war rendered more than 80000 as young war widows, “disappearance” of over 146000 people, orphaning several thousand children several thousands wounded. Despite this, the Sri Lankan Govt has been denying to accept any credible international investigation, under some pretext or the other.Similarly there are several prisoners, particularly Muslims, who are serving life sentence in Coimbatore prison, without getting the benefit of remission. What is permitted for others is being denied to these prisoners stating that they are imprisoned in the “bomb blast case”! Instead of granting remission to the prisoners based on their behaviour during their tenure in the prison, these prisoners are denied the advantage of remission referring to the crime for which they were lodged in the jail. Thus these prisoners are awarded double punishment, which is unconstitutional and against natural justice. Finally, when one third of the Indian population live below the poverty line, who cannot afford one square meal a day, the Central Government is thrusting on the mass of people, projects, under the guise of ‘Science, modernisation and development’, which are neither nature centric nor human centric. The Bullet train project is one such, which is a drain on the tax payer’s money and which could have been augmented for providing amenities like health and education, which are the basic rights. In conclusion we will have to reiterate that the denial of Environmental justice, social, cultural and economic justice and self determination of various nationalities, as enshrined in the UN Human Rights Charter, have led to the denial of human rights and human dignity. Similarly denial of civil rights by the State tantamount to denial of inalienable human rights. Hence the need for the urgent intervention of the international community invoking the principle of Right to Protect. Thank you Pon Chandran Joint Secretary PUCL, Tamil Nadu. ponniah.chandran@gmail.com

2.                One martyred: Jun 2 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one youth in Rajouri district. The youth was martyred by Indian troops and paramilitary during a cordon and search operation in Dassal Mehari area  of the district. Indian troops martyred a civilian in Samba district. Indian army and Border Security Force personnel killed the civilian near Mangu Chak border outpost in Samba.In the early hours of Thursday morning, the troops killed one person in Samba area, an Indian Border Security Force spokesperson said. The incident took place near Mangu Chak border outpost in Samba sector,( https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/01/indian-troops-martyr-civilian-insamba.html?fbclid=IwAR0OsOcZYWKoFKwdXo8Src47Xlb3Zk0YrMcZpgZTRCsdOvfmS-BC6EqKWXk)    https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/02/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-rajouri-2.html

3.                One martyred: Jun 3 2023:  Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today.The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter during a cordon and search operation in Dassal Mehari area of Rajouri district of Jammu region.  The troops martyred one youth during a similar operation in Mangu Chak area of Samba district of Jammu, yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/06/02/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-rajouri-2.html

4.                 

 

  

 

Weekly update  193 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  May 9 , 2022 to, May , 16, 2023   

1           Two martyred: May, 4, 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district. The occupation troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/05/03/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-7.html

2          Two martyred: May 7 2023:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, today, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in fake encounters in Baramulla and Rajouri districts. The troops martyred one youth in the garb of a cordon and search operation in Kunzar area of Baramulla. The troops martyred another youth in the ongoing military operation in Kesari area of Rajouri https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/05/06/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-5.html

Weekly update  190  191 & 192 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Apr  18, 2022 to, May , 8, 2023   

1           Two martyred: May, 4, 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district. The occupation troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/05/03/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-7.html

2          Two martyred: May 7 2023:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, today, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in fake encounters in Baramulla and Rajouri districts. The troops martyred one youth in the garb of a cordon and search operation in Kunzar area of Baramulla. The troops martyred another youth in the ongoing military operation in Kesari area of Rajouri https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/05/06/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-5.html

 

  

Weekly update  188 & 189  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Apr  4, 2022 to, Apr , 17, 2023   

1           Lal Chowk massacre; Apr. 11, 2023;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Srinagar’s Lal Chowk massacre of 1993 which exposed the repugnant masquerade of the Indian government is considered even after completion of 30 years today as one of the grisliest incidents of brutality and gross human rights violations committed by Indian troops and paramilitary personnel. On 10th April 1993, a large section of Srinagar including Lal Chowk was burnt to the ground by Indian paramilitary troops. More than 60 houses, five commercial buildings, 150 shops, two official buildings, shrines, schools were completely burnt to ashes. A total of 47 innocent civilians were burnt alive and over 125 were killed by Indian Border Security Forces (BSF).  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/04/10/lal-chowk-massacre-completes-30-years-of-violent-act-today.html

Weekly update  187  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  mar 28, 2022 to, Apr , 4, 2023   

1           UN on Kashmir: March 24 2023: India must immediately end its crackdown against Kashmiri human rights defenders, a UN expert said today, after renowned Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez was arrested in a second case on terrorism charges. “Indian authorities appear to be intensifying the long-standing repression of Kashmiri civil society,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. “The State must respect its human rights obligations and be held accountable where it violates them.” On 22 March 2023, Khurram Parvez, already detained since November 2021 on accusations of terrorism, was arrested in a second case after two days of interrogation by the National Investigation Agency, India's main counter-terrorism body. He is accused of financing terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, through his work with the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Prior to Parvez’s arrest, a former associate of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS), human rights defender and journalist Irfan Mehraj, was arrested in the same case on 20 March 2023 from Srinagar and immediately transferred to New Delhi. Former associates and volunteers of the JKCCS are facing coercion and intimidation from the authorities. “The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) carries out essential work monitoring human rights. Their research and analysis of human rights violations are of huge value, including to international organisations seeking to ensure accountability and non-repetition of abuses,” Lawlor said. The expert called for the release and the closing of the investigations against Kashmiri human rights defenders.“Time and time again, the Government has been called upon to address the fundamental issues with the country's anti-terrorism framework and its misuse to smear and silence human rights defenders,” Lawlor said. “The arrest and detention of persons for exercising their human rights are arbitrary. There must be accountability and remedy where such abusive actions are taken.”   https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/india-un-expert-demands-immediate-end-crackdown-kashmiri-human-rights

 

  

Weekly update  185 & 186  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  mar 14, 2022 to, mar , 28, 2023   

1           Biden Administration must insist on transparency in Kashmir: Dr. Fail : March 23, 2023: Once again, the United States Department of State has issued its latest report on human rights practices around the world. The report was issued on March 20, 2023.  The section on India (around 39 pages) contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, ‘World Forum for Peace & Justice’ underscored that the scale of gripping wrongdoing in Kashmir dwarfs what was witnessed in Bosnia and East Timor prior to international intervention, yet the world powers have watched the people of Kashmir suffer like spectators at the Roman Coliseum. That complacency gives at least the impression that Kashmiri lives and hopes are worth less than those of others. This report Fai added at least takes the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity. Perhaps now the United Nations can share the outrage felt by the people of Kashmir.Here are the excerpts of the report given below.: While as “Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP)’ has reported that there are 8 to 10 thousand persons who have disappeared in Kashmir, Amnesty international echoed, “India: ‘If they are dead, tell us’ – ‘Disappearances’ in Jammu and Kashmir.” The State Department report mentions the following regarding disappearances. “In March 2021, UN special rapporteurs asked the central government to provide details regarding allegations of arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, and disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir, including the status of Naseer Ahmad Wani, who disappeared in 2019 after being questioned by army soldiers. The location of Wani was still unknown at year’s end.” The report adds: “On July 29, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance and UN special rapporteurs expressed concern over continued allegations of lack of identification, protection, and preservation of large numbers of unmarked single and mass burial sites in Kashmir, including the failure to conduct proper forensic investigations, efforts to search for the forcibly disappeared, and the lack of progress in identifying the remains of individuals buried therein in accordance with international standards. The rapporteurs stated they were concerned by reports of intimidation and harassment against individuals and civil society organizations, including human rights defenders and journalists, who called for investigation and accountability.” The report details many instances where the use of draconian laws has given sense of total impunity to the Indian army in Kashmir. It states, “The Public Safety Act (PSA), which applies only in Jammu and Kashmir, permits authorities to detain persons without charge or judicial review for up to two years without visitation from family members.  In April, the press reported that more than 500 persons remained in detention under the PSA in Jammu and Kashmir.” It is pertinent to mention here that Amnesty International calls PSA as,’Lawless law.’ The State Department report cites the example of “Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested by the NIA for “terror funding” and “conspiracy” in November 2021, continued in detention. His pretrial detention has been extended at least five times by the NIA Special Court in New Delhi.” Meanwhile, Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on HRD said, “Khurram Parvez is not a terrorist. He is a human rights defender.” As we know that Committee to Protect Journalist has said that news media in Kashmir is at the brink of extinction. The State Department report says that, ”noted journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir continued to face barriers to free reporting through communications and movement restrictions…As of July 21, two journalists from The Kashmir Walla, an online newspaper, remained in detention.  In June, the State Investigation Agency in Jammu and Kashmir arrested Abdul Alaa Fazili, a one-time contributor to The Kashmir Walla, under the UAPA for a November 2011 article. The State Department report also added, “Kashmiri journalist, Aasif Sultan, detained since 2018, under the UAPA, was rearrested before his release on bail in April under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows for detention for up to two years without trial…In Jammu and Kashmir, police arrested journalists Fahad Shah and Sajad Gul under the UAPA and PSA.  According to Human Rights Watch, at least 35 journalists had faced assaults, police interrogations, raids on their places of work, fabricated cases, and restrictions on movement in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.” The report continued that “On July 2, immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi prevented Pulitzer-award winning photojournalist Sanna Irshad Mattoo (Kashmiri) from travelling to France, where she was scheduled to attend a book launch event.  According to Mattoo, the immigration authorities did not state any reason for stopping her.  In October, authorities prevented Mattoo again from boarding a plane on her way to the Pulitzer Prize ceremony in New York, despite her having a valid ticket and visa, without explanation according to media sources. It is well documented that the bloody occupation has resulted in massive human rights violations, particularly targeting women and children. The sanctity of women has been violated, in a gruesome and unforgiving fashion. The State Department report says, “Women in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, as well as vulnerable Dalit or tribal women, were often victims of rape or threats of rape.” Dr. Fai warned that “Human rights will continue to be violated as long as political and civilian killings continue unabated, torture and rape remain widespread, civil liberties are suspended, and international human rights groups and United Nations Thematic Rapporteurs are prohibited from gaining access to Kashmir.” Dr. Fai urged the Biden Administration to insist on transparency in Kashmir to build moral suasion against the massive and systematic human rights violations there perpetrated by Indian occupation forces with impunity.

2           One martyred: Mar 25 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today. The youth was martyred by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Tangdhar area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/03/24/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara-4.html 

Weekly update  184  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  mar 7, 2022 to, mar , 14, 2023   

1    One more International Women’s Day: One more year of death, destruction, and rape in Kashmir: Dr. Fai; Washington, D.C. March 7, 2023; “On behalf of the women and children of the world who continue to be the innocent victims, we hope that the ‘Platform of Action’ which was adopted by the UN during the ‘Fourth World Conference on Women’ on 15 September 1995, suggest implementation of a special program to rehabilitate the women and children of all conflicts in all situations. We also hope that the sixty-seventh session of the ‘Commission on the Status of Women’ which started yesterday (March 6 – 17, 2023) at the United Nations will put these issues in a high priority. And, in particular, the women of Kashmir still have confidence in the mechanism of the United Nations and its sense of justice. But there are limits even to hope. They are often assailed by despair because of the half-hearted response of the international community to their tragic situation. Unfortunately, the passivity and the silence of the world powers of course unwittingly, have given the sense of total impunity to the occupation authority in Kashmir,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, ‘World Forum for Peace & Justice’ on the eve of ‘International Women’s Day.’ Fai cited the reports of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR) on Kashmir that were issued on June 14, 2018 & July 8, 2019. The reports contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. It marked a significant step towards greater international recognition of serious abuses committed against Kashmiris by the Indian army. The reports further illustrated that “One significant case that illustrates the state’s failure to investigate and prosecute allegations of sexual violence and addressing impunity for sexual crimes in Kashmir is the Kunan-Poshpora mass rape, which took place 27 years ago and for which attempts to seek justice have been denied and blocked over the years by the authorities at different levels.” But, unfortunately, even these reports failed to take the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity, Fai added. Fai drew the attention of the United Nations to another report issued by The New Delhi based NGO, ‘The Citizen Bureau’, published in ‘The Daily Citizen’ on February 24, 2014: “The rape of women in Kunan-Poshpora villages in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir is a 23 old saga of complicity, duplicity, and a massive cover up in which powerful institutions like the Army, the media, and the state and central governments were involved. The victim’s quest for justice has been deliberately blocked, with the perpetrators of the terrible crime getting completely away as a result.” “Do You remember Kunan-Poshpora” documentary evidence of five brave Kashmiri women scholars wrote these words on page 1, “This book is about one night in two villages in Kashmir. It is about a night that has refused to end for 24 long years, a night that holds stories of violations, injustice, oppression and falsehood, as well as acts of courage, bravery and truth. This book is about Kunan-Poshpora.” Devina Neogi, Ramaiah Public Policy Officer, wrote in ‘Journal of International Women's Studies,’ in May 2022. “The conflict in Kashmir has created havoc in the lives of the people, and the women have suffered the most, from physically auscultation to being raped, from losing their family members to being tortured in jails.” Zohra Batul, tried to shake the conscience of the world leaders by writing in the blog of London School of Economics, namely, Engenderings, “The reality of Indian democracy is most conspicuously exposed in Kashmir, a truth that no nationalist Indian wants to hear.” Amrit Wilson wrote in ‘The Peninsula (July 4, 2014): ‘When will the Kashmiri nightmare end?’ She added “Horrific violence has been faced by the women, with rape used as a “weapon of war to punish, intimidate, coerce, humiliate and degrade”. “The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), imposed in 1958 in all so-called ‘disturbed areas’ of India, provides the army and paramilitaries with almost total impunity, enabling them to arrest people without a warrant and on mere suspicion of their planning a terrorist act and allowing the security forces to “fire upon or otherwise use force even to the causing of death”. “The violated Kashmiri women ask what action has been taken to enforce the writ of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” Fai concluded. 

Weekly update  183  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Feb , 24, 2022 to, Mar , 7, 2023

1    Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday (Jan 23) questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of peddling lies,  Singh alleged that the government did not agree to the CRPF request of flying its personnel from Srinagar to Delhi and 40 soldiers sacrificed their lives in Pulwama in 2019 to a terror attack. “They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies,” the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, who has often courted controversy with his comments, said. In a tweet in Hindi later, he said, “From where did the terrorists get 300 kg of RDX in Pulwama incident? DSP Davinder Singh was caught with terrorists but then why was he released? We also want to know about the friendship between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India.” In his video message attached to the tweet, Singh said 40 CRPF personnel sacrificed their lives in Pulwama, but this government has not been able to reveal from where three quintals of RDX came. “Besides, the government has not been able to answer where is DSP Davinder Singh, who was caught involved with terrorists. Why was he let free and why was a case of treason not registered against him? We would also like to know from the prime minister as to what kind of relations he has with Pakistani prime minister that both are praising each other. At least, he should answer these questions,” the Congress leader said in a video message. Supporting his party colleague Digvijaya Singh, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared his tweet and video message and said Prime Minister Modi should answer questions on Pulwama and not hide behind the armed forces. “The question is to the Modi government. Without hiding behind our brave army, Modi ji should answer: How did RDX reach Pulwama? Why was DSP Davinder Singh released without investigation? What kind of relation does Modi ji have with Pakistan that you call ISI to Pathankot,” Khera said. Hindu https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/23/no-proof-of-indias-surgical-strike-against-pakistan-digvijay-singh.htm  

2 One martyred; Feb 16 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/02/16/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara-3.html

3 human rights ; mar 3 2023;US secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that he raised human rights issues during his meeting with Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/discussed-human-rights-issues-in-meeting-with-jaishankar-blinken 

 

Weekly update 182 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Feb , 21, 2022 to, Feb, 27, 2023

1     Women and occupied Jammu and Kashmir ;Feb 23 2023 : The miseries and victimization of Kashmiri women by the Indian troops and police personnel continue unabated in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.This was revealed by a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day, today. The Day is observed on both sides of the Line of Control every year to pay tribute to the struggles and sacrifices of the survivors of mass rape and torture in Kunanposhpora. Call for the observance of the day as Women’s Resistance Day was, first, given by Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and supported by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in 2014. Indian troops had gang-raped around 100 women of all ages from eight to eighty years old on the night of February 23 in 1991 during a siege and search operation in Kunanposhpora in Kupwara district. The report maintained that at least 682 women have been martyred by Indian troops since January 2001 till date. It pointed out that since January 1989, the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,957 women widowed while Indian forces’ personnel have molested 11,256 women. It said that thousands of women lost their sons, husbands, fathers and brothers in the occupied territory who were subjected to custodial disappearance by Indian Army, police and paramilitary personnel.The report pointed out that over two dozen women and girls including Hurriyat leaders, Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi and Naheeda Nasreen, were facing illegal detention in different jails of IIOJK and India. They are being victimized only for the reason that they represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their demand for the right to self determination, it said.The report deplored that despite the passing of thirty-two years, justice continues to elude the victims while the troops involved in heinous crime are roaming free. It said that the memories of Kunanposhpora mass rape are still fresh in the minds of the Kashmiri people. It said, the impunity given by India to its troops under draconian laws is the main reason behind the Kunanposhpora-like tragedies. “Kunanposhpora mass rape is a glaring example of Indian troops’ brutalities in IIOJK. It is a blot on the so-called democratic face of India, which is using rape of women as an instrument of state terrorism in IIOJK. Kunanposhpora tragedy is a proof of institutionalized violence being using by India and the war crimes perpetrated by Indian troops in Kashmir,” it said. The report maintained that India is employing rape as a military tactic to humiliate the Kashmiris and break their resolve for freedom from its subjugation. It said that New Delhi must be pressurized to reopen Kunanposhpora mass rape case to bring perpetrators to book. India must be held accountable for the heinous crimes perpetrated by its troops against the Kashmiris, it added. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/02/23/thousands-of-women-martyred-molested-in-iiojk-since-jan-1989.html

 

 

 

Weekly update 179 180 and 181  : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan , 24, 2022 to, Feb , 21, 2023

1    Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday (Jan 23) questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of peddling lies,  Singh alleged that the government did not agree to the CRPF request of flying its personnel from Srinagar to Delhi and 40 soldiers sacrificed their lives in Pulwama in 2019 to a terror attack. “They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies,” the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, who has often courted controversy with his comments, said. In a tweet in Hindi later, he said, “From where did the terrorists get 300 kg of RDX in Pulwama incident? DSP Davinder Singh was caught with terrorists but then why was he released? We also want to know about the friendship between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India.” In his video message attached to the tweet, Singh said 40 CRPF personnel sacrificed their lives in Pulwama, but this government has not been able to reveal from where three quintals of RDX came. “Besides, the government has not been able to answer where is DSP Davinder Singh, who was caught involved with terrorists. Why was he let free and why was a case of treason not registered against him? We would also like to know from the prime minister as to what kind of relations he has with Pakistani prime minister that both are praising each other. At least, he should answer these questions,” the Congress leader said in a video message. Supporting his party colleague Digvijaya Singh, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared his tweet and video message and said Prime Minister Modi should answer questions on Pulwama and not hide behind the armed forces. “The question is to the Modi government. Without hiding behind our brave army, Modi ji should answer: How did RDX reach Pulwama? Why was DSP Davinder Singh released without investigation? What kind of relation does Modi ji have with Pakistan that you call ISI to Pathankot,” Khera said. Hindu https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/23/no-proof-of-indias-surgical-strike-against-pakistan-digvijay-singh.htm  

2 One martyred; Feb 16 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/02/16/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara-3.html

    

Weekly update 179 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan , 24, 2022 to, Jan, 30, 2023

1    Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday (Jan 23) questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of peddling lies,  Singh alleged that the government did not agree to the CRPF request of flying its personnel from Srinagar to Delhi and 40 soldiers sacrificed their lives in Pulwama in 2019 to a terror attack. “They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies,” the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, who has often courted controversy with his comments, said. In a tweet in Hindi later, he said, “From where did the terrorists get 300 kg of RDX in Pulwama incident? DSP Davinder Singh was caught with terrorists but then why was he released? We also want to know about the friendship between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India.” In his video message attached to the tweet, Singh said 40 CRPF personnel sacrificed their lives in Pulwama, but this government has not been able to reveal from where three quintals of RDX came. “Besides, the government has not been able to answer where is DSP Davinder Singh, who was caught involved with terrorists. Why was he let free and why was a case of treason not registered against him? We would also like to know from the prime minister as to what kind of relations he has with Pakistani prime minister that both are praising each other. At least, he should answer these questions,” the Congress leader said in a video message. Supporting his party colleague Digvijaya Singh, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared his tweet and video message and said Prime Minister Modi should answer questions on Pulwama and not hide behind the armed forces. “The question is to the Modi government. Without hiding behind our brave army, Modi ji should answer: How did RDX reach Pulwama? Why was DSP Davinder Singh released without investigation? What kind of relation does Modi ji have with Pakistan that you call ISI to Pathankot,” Khera said. Hindu https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/23/no-proof-of-indias-surgical-strike-against-pakistan-digvijay-singh.htm  

 

 

Weekly update 178 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan , 3, 2022 to, Jan, 17, 2022

 

1   Two martyred; Jan 17 2023: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in a fake encounter in Budgam district. Indian troops and paramilitary forces during a cordon and search operation stopped a vehicle at main Chowk near court area of the district. The troops dislodged the youth from the vehicle and shot them dead on spot. The locals said that the youth were killed in cold blood. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/17/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-budgam-fake-encounter.html 

Weekly update 176 and 177 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan , 3, 2022 to, Jan, 17, 2022

 

1 Two martyred; Jan 08 2023; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism have martyred two Kashmiri youth in Poonch district The troops martyred the youth in the night long operation in Balakote area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/08/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-6.html 

 

Weekly update 175 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Dec , 27, 2022 to, Jan, 3, 2022

 

1 Four martyred; Dec 28 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Jammu district, today. The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter in the garb of a cordon and search operation after arresting them when they were traveling in a truck in Sidhra area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/12/28/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-jammu.html

 

2 Human rights in IO&K; Jan 1 2023; An annual report prepared by Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) delineates the situation of human rights in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK). Like previous years, 2022 again witnessed bloodshed of Kashmiris and silencing of Kashmir’s civil society, arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders, journalists and religious clergy.The unparalleled censorship and blackout on all forms of media coverage about the ongoing situation in the war-trampled region has made it more vulnerable for human rights organizations and media to work freely. The year witnessed the killings of 181 freedom activists besides the extrajudicial killing of 45 civilians. It said 24 Indian troops were killed during the year. Indian troops launched 200 Cordon and search operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs). The CASOs and CADOs also left 212 residential houses vandalized and destroyed at the hands of Indian occupying forces. There were 169 instances of Internet blockade. In January 2022, thousands of acres of land in Gulmarg and Sonamarg area of Occupied Kashmir were declared as ‘strategic areas’ and given to Indian military. This is a brazen violation of International Law governing the disputed nature of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir On multiple occasions Indian state agencies have taken prisoners out and killed them in military operations. Torture and Sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of choice. Resistance and dissent have been criminalized as Indian state continues to use masquerading language and cloaked terminology to hoodwink international community.The Indian authorities in IIOJK have terminated services of at least 40 employees, citing their affinity to resistance ideology. This social, cultural, economic and political disempowerment is carried to infuse fear among Kashmiri populace and create coercive disciplining.GOI is recruiting retired security personnel from all over India for civilian posts in OJK. Religious freedom remains curtailed for the Muslim majority region. It has been 198 weeks in the last six-years that Kashmir’s largest mosque, Jamia Masjid remains locked down. Dozens of Imams and preachers were routinely harassed, while many of them were booked under draconian laws like UAPA and PSA. Massive administrative and legislative changes arming and aiding the Indian settler colonial project saw massive land grabs by Indian defense and Hindu right-wing capitalists paving way for demographic change. In a bid to disempower native Muslim population, India extended voting rights to all the Indian citizens living temporarily in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. These arbitrary orders tantamount to changing the demography of occupied Kashmir and implemented coercively and incessantly. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/12/31/lfk-report-paints-bleak-picture-of-human-rights-in-iiojk.html

3 Human rights  and IOJK  ; Jan 2 2023; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 214 innocent Kashmiris, including one woman and five young boys, during the year 2022. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, 57 of the martyrs were killed in fake encounters and custody The report said, the killings by the troops, paramilitary and police personnel rendered 13 women widowed and 35 children orphaned while 10 women were molested, abused or disgraced by the men in uniform during the year. It said that Indian forces destroyed 44 residential houses and structures. The Indian authorities did not allow people to offer Friday prayers for 14 times at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar besides disallowing other religious functions like Muharram processions, Shab-e-Baraat, Shabe Qadr and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) gatherings in the occupied territory. The report said that resistance leaders  continue to remain in detention in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in fake cases. The report maintained that over 4,000 of people  remained in different jails of IIOJK and India under the black laws, Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The report pointed out that since 5th August 2019, when Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government revoked the special status of IIOJK, Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel have martyred 730 Kashmiris till date.It added that 96,163 Kashmiris have fallen to the Indian bullets during the last 34 years in the occupied territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2023/01/01/indian-troops-martyred-214-kashmiris-in-2022.html 

Weekly update 174 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Dec , 20, 2022 to, Dec, 27, 2022

 

1 Three martyred; Dec 21 2022;   In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today (Dec 20) . The youth were martyred after they were arrested by the troops and later killed in a fake encounter in the garb of a cordon and search operation in Munjh Marg area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/12/20/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-fake-encounter-in-shopian.html

 

2 Young man missing; Dec 24 2022; A young man from north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, who was detained by the Army on December 15, has gone missing, prompting his family to stage a protest in Srinagar to demand his whereabouts. The Army has, however, said that the missing person “fled” from their custody Abdul Rashid Dar, who drives a mini load-carrier to make a living and also runs a family-owned tent shop, was having dinner at around 8:30 pm last Thursday when a team of Army soldiers from 41 Rashtriya Rifles unit posted in Trehgam knocked at the door of his house in Kunan village of the frontier district of Kupwara. In the evening, the family was told by local officials that the Army has intimated the police that Rashid fled from their custody when he was being taken to Marhama.  . https://thewire.in/rights/kupwara-abdul-rashid-dar-missing-army-custody

Weekly update 172 & 173 : - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Dec , 6, 2022 to, Dec, 19, 2022

 

1.       British trade and human rights ; Dec 12 2022; Urging the international community to act fast on ending illegal occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and in Palestine by India and Israel, the British government was on Saturday urged to apply sanctions on states which violate human rights without any discrimination. “In particular all trade between Britain and any other state must be consistent with international law. British Trade both with Israel and India is inconsistent with international law particularly when it comes to the arms trade,” the resolution added.   https://tribune.com.pk/story/2390648/human-rights-for-all-british-moot-questions-uks-trade-with-india-israel

2.       India supports terrorism; Dec 4 2022; Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that there was “clear evidence” of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan, adding that the government has decided to present the matter before the international community. “Today, the matter that we are putting before you […] we have evidence of India’s involvement in it,” Sanaullah said, referring to the Johar Town blast in Lahore last year. In June 2021, a powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Johar Town had killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable. Six-year-old Abdul Haq, his father Abdul Malik, 50, and a young passerby died in the explosion that left a four-foot-deep and eight-foot-wide crater on the road and damaged several houses and shops nearby. Days after the incident, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and national security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf told a press conference that the mastermind of the attack was “an Indian citizen and he is associated with [Indian intelligence agency] RAW”.Earlier this year, Dawn reported that the Punjab CTD had claimed to have arrested the mastermind as well as the facilitator of the Johar Town bomb blast from Balochistan. They were identified as Samiul Haq and Uzair Akbar. In the press conference today, IG Mehmood briefed on the investigation of the blast and revealed that the authorities had reached the culprits. The official recalled that the police had traced the suspect within 16 hours of the incident. “And within 24 hours we arrested three terrorists. “The first character was Peter Paul David who was caught through [the details] of his vehicle. Sajjad Hussain, who was arrested alongside, was David’s assistant,” he said. Ziaullah, Mehmood continued, was arrested on Peter’s identification and “we found out that he was the main culprit behind the attack”. “Eid Gul and his wife were arrested after 5-6 days. Gul was the person who David gave the car to and he outfitted it with ammunition and bombs,” he said, adding that the video of the blast showed Gul coming out of the vehicle. After Gul’s interrogation, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami ul Haq, who Mehmood claimed was the main handler of the RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan. “Subsequently, we got Haq’s red warrants issued through Interpol. After that, purely on an intelligence and investigation basis, we were informed this person was entering Pakistan and we arrested him on April 22 along with his brother-in-law.” The police official further revealed that Haq’s brother-in-law, identified as Uzair Akbar, assisted him in terror activities. “We also found out about Naveed Akhtar, who did the surveillance and selected the target. “Naveed was a labourer in the Middle East and was in jail because he could not pay his fine. A RAW agent approached him and told him that he would pay his fine, but then, Naveed would have to engage in terror activities against Pakistan,” Mehmood said in the press conference. He added that as soon as Naveed was arrested, several terror activities were thwarted. “When we arrested Sami ul Haq, Naveed was unaware of his arrest. Sami ul Haq told us that he was about to meet Naveed on May 10. We were then able to apprehend Naveed as well.” As the investigation continued, Mehmood said, more RAW agents were uncovered. “We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done through India to spread terrorism in Pakistan through different channels,” he revealed, adding that all the arrested persons have been sentenced to death three times by the court. Mehmood also said that the CTD had clear evidence “which is undeniable about India and RAW’s involvement”. Meanwhile, Sanaullah said that the Foreign Office would, henceforth, raise this matter before the world. “India will be exposed because there is clear evidence that it is directly involved.”He pointed out the Johar Town blast case was “complete” in which culprits were caught and substantial evidence was found. “Thus, we have decided to put it before the international community as it will have its own weight and impact.” The minister added that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) had support from the RAW for terrorist activities in Pakistan. https://www.dawn.com/news/1726154/clear-evidence-of-india-carrying-out-terrorist-activities-in-pakistan-rana-sanaullah

3.       British parliament on Kashmir; Dec 17 2022;   British parliament hosted the National Student Conference on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), with the participation of students, British lawmakers and activists from across the country. “When you talk about rape as a weapon of war and having treated so the women that it occupies, that it rules over, that it claims to secure, there is a certain tyranny that the world can understand,” said British Shadow Minister Jess Phillips about IIOJK She said that India has used rape as a weapon of war in IIOJK to persecute the local population against their demand for right to self-determination British MP Debbie Abraham, who is also chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir, also attended the conference. Expressing concern over the situation of human rights in IIOJK, Phillips said the right to self-determination is the end goal for Kashmir. “I pledge that going forward we will seek to do some real international work with women of occupied area (of Kashmir) … with women’s rights activists around the world,” she added. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2391385/british-parliament-hosts-national-student-conference-on-iiojk 

 

 

Human rights Kashmir media ServiceWeekly update 171: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Nov, 29, 2022 to, Dec, 6, 2022

 

1.       12 martyred ; Dec 2 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 12 Kashmiris during the last month of November. According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, of those killed five were martyred in fake encounters and in custody. Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel arrested 78 people, mostly youth, activists, students and a woman under black laws Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 190 cordon and search operations in the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/12/01/indian-troops-martyr-12-kashmiris-in-november.html

2.       Human rights in India; Dec 4 2022; The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has said the US State Department has turned a blind eye by not including India in the list of “countries of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. “There is no justification for the State Department’s failure to recognise Nigeria or India as egregious violators of religious freedom, as they each clearly meet the legal standards for designation as CPCs  https://thewire.in/rights/religious-freedom-uscirf-slams-omission-of-india-in-us-state-depts-particular-concern-list 

Weekly update 170: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Nov, 22, 2022 to, Nov, 28, 2022

 

1.       One martyred; No/ 22 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more youth in Jammu district. The unarmed youth was martyred by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in Arnia area of the district. The BSF claimed that on suspicion, the troops asked the youth to stop, but he moved on without paying attention to the call, which prompted the troops to open fire on him killing him on the spot. However, on searching, nothing objectionable was found from him, the BSF spokesperson admitted. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/22/indian-troops-martyr-a-youth-in-jammu.html

 

 

Weekly update 169: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Nov, 15, 2022 to, Nov, 21, 2022

 

1.       One martyred; Nov 20 2022; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth, today, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Nawshera area of Rajouri district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iiojk-6.html

2.       One martyred; Nov 21 2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth, today(Nov 20, in Islamabad district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter during a military operation in Bijbehara area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/20/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iiojk-7.html

Weekly update 168: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Nov, 8, 2022 to, Nov, 14, 2022

 

1.       Jammu Massacre in 1947: Nov 07 2022: Members of Kashmiri and Pakistani community and their supporters  alongwith Kashmir Digital Van gathered outside Indian High Commission to commemorate the Jammu Martyrs’ Day. In the first week of November 1947, hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris were martyred by the forces of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, Indian Army and Hindu fanatics in different parts of Jammu region while they were migrating to Pakistan. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/07/protesters-along-with-kashmir-digital-van-gather-outside-indian-high-commission-in-london.html

2.       one martyred; Nov 12 2022; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, today, martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in the Kaprin area of Shopian district  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/11/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-shopian.html 

Weekly update 167: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Nov, 1, 2022 to, Nov, 7, 2022

 

1.       One martyred; Nov 11 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one youth in Kupwara district, today.The youth was martyred by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Keran area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/31/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-kupwara-today.html

2.       Four martyred; Nov 2 2022; four Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, today, martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation in Awantipora area of Pulwama district.Another youth was martyred by the troops during a similar operation in Semthan area of Islamabad district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/11/01/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-iiojk-4.html 

Weekly update 166: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   OCT, 25, 2022 to, Oct, 31, 2022

 

1.       October 27^th: the Tyranny continues in Kashmir: Washington, DC. October 27, 2022; Raising the slogans of Azadi, a large number of Kashmiri Americans and their supporters and friends staged a demonstration in front of the Indian embassy in Washington, DC at which Barrister Sultan Mahmood Choudhary, President Azad Jammu Kashmir and other speakers drew attention of Biden Administration to the grave human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and urged the administration to intervene in facilitating a meaningful tripartite dialogue between India, Pakistan and genuine leadership of Jammu & Kashmir. The participants  waved placards reading: “Indian Forces: Out of Kashmir” “Stop Killing in Kashmir” “Demilitarize Kashmir” “U.N. Implement Resolutions on Kashmir” “US Can Stop Genocide in Kashmir,” “Wake Up Wake Up: UN Wake Up.” Barrister Sultan Mahmood Choudhary warned that the deadly silence of the world powers over gruesome human rights abuses by the occupation forces in Kashmir has given India a virtual license to kill innocent Kashmiris. The government of India has to stop viewing Kashmir from the prism of Pakistan. Pointing out that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, tortured, jailed, and are missing, Barrister said that no struggle of such magnitude could be sponsored by an external party. Barrister warned that Kashmir is facing worst kind of oppression unleashed by Indian army. Innocent people are being killed, maimed, blinded, incarcerated, tortured and humiliated by the occupational forces. India is using its military might to crush the peaceful resistance movement of Kashmir. And this all is being done with impunity. He underlined it was imperative that self-determination be granted to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace and stability in the region. Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President, World Kashmir Awareness Forum & Chairman, newly constituted “Kashmir Diaspora Coalition” said  October 27 remains etched in our memory and our conscience. It was the day India decimated our dreams of a free nation. The savage uncalled-for invasion was to become a long national nightmare for millions of Kashmiris. Dr. Mir added that while our brothers and sisters in Azad Kashmir have been enjoying the fruits of freedoms across the border, their dream of being a part and parcel of one united free Jammu and Kashmir remains unfulfilled. We, the people of the Occupied Kashmir wish our Azad Kashmir well and thank them for their unwavering support as we wage our struggle for freedom from Indian occupation and now a dangerous settler-colonialism. “Kashmiris are victims of multiple periods of genocide starting in 1947 and 1948 and multiple genocides in 1990s. Now Kashmir is a case of full-fledged ethnic cleansing, demographic change, and settler-colonialism. We ask the UN and the world community to stand up and speak out against Indian state terrorism and allow Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination under relevant UNSC resolutions. This is the only way an impending humanitarian catastrophe can be avoided, Dr. Mir demanded. Dr. Fai highlighted that our objective of peaceful protest was to draw attention of the Biden Administration to the situation in Kashmir and to exert pressure on the government of India and to resolve dispute over Kashmir and help stop human right violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. “The genuine test of how much we care about such abuses is what we do about them, not just what we say about them. And the United Nations, despite all its shortcomings still seems an ideal place to begin with a serious plan of action,’ Fai stressed. Sardar Sawar Khan, former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir said, “The United Nations has unfinished business in Kashmir. There exist several United Nations resolutions that clearly state the people of Jammu & Kashmir have the right to determine their own future through a free, fair and impartial vote. We are asking the United Nations to follow on its commitment to the people of Kashmir. He hoped that a new dawn of prosperity, peace and stability will be guaranteed when the Kashmir dispute is resolved to the satisfaction of the people of Kashmir . Aftab Shah, a well-known businessman from New Jersey highlighted that Indian army is conducting a campaign of slaughter in Kashmir. Each day they shoot and kill civilians; detain and brutally torture innocent Kashmiri men, women and children. He added that there is no freedom in Kashmir, only death, destruction and oppression. Raja Liaqat Kayani, President, Kashmir House, Washington said that the Indian army is engaged in serious human rights abuses in Kashmir, and we believe that world powers need to know that the so-called ‘world’s most populous democracy’ is a grave offender of the most basic of human rights.’ Sardar Sajid Sawar expressed his sadness that no civilized nation, not even the United States seems to be concerned with the human rights atrocities being committed in this unfortunate land of Kashmir Not a single word has been uttered by them against human rights violations taking place in Kashmir. Akram Butt, a familiar businessman of the community said, “Each day that India kills innocent civilians, it strengthens the sentiments of Aazadi amongst the general population in Indian occupied Kashmir. The right of self-determination is the right of Kashmiris that was guaranteed under UN Security Council resolutions . Sardar Zarif Khan, main emcee of the rally said that nothing better could be said about human rights in Kashmir. Every human rights group that has examined the convulsed scene in Kashmir has reported harrowing human rights violations, including tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, plunder, arbitrary arrests, and ruthless suppression of free speech and press. The United States State Department annual human rights report invariably paints an ugly human rights dispensation in Kashmir.  

Weekly update 165: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   OCT, 18. 2022 to, Oct, 24 2022

1.     One martyred; Oct., 20, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one youth in custody in Shopian district. The youth Imran Bashir was arrested by the troops during a cordon and search operation on Tuesday after a grenade blast in which two Indian laborers were killed in Hermain area of the district. The troops then took him to Nowgam area of the district and killed him in a fake encounter. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-shopian-during-custody.html

2.    UN Chief chides India: Oct., 20, 2022: UN chief Antonio Guterres chided India during a visit on Wednesday over its human rights record, which critics say has regressed under Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  “As an elected member of the Human Rights Council, India has a responsibility to shape global human rights, and to protect and promote the rights of all individuals, including members of minority communities,” Guterres said in a speech in Mumbai. Guterres  pointedly said that the understanding that “diversity is a richness … is not a guarantee”.“It must be nurtured, strengthened and renewed everyday,” he said.Citing independence hero Mahatma Gandhi and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru — both of whom have become hate figures for some in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party — Guterres said their values need to be guarded by “condemning hate speech unequivocally”.India must do this “by protecting the rights and freedoms of journalists, human rights activists, students and academics. And by ensuring the continued independence of India’s judiciary”, he said.“India’s voice on the global stage can only gain in authority and credibility from a strong commitment to inclusivity and respect for human rights at home,” he said, adding that “much more needs to be done to advance gender equality and women’s rights”.“I urge Indians to be vigilant and to increase your investments in inclusive, pluralistic, diverse communities and societies,” Guterres said. In February, UN rights experts called for an end to “misogynistic and sectarian” online attacks against one particular Muslim woman journalist who was a fierce critic of Modi.     https://www.dawn.com/news/1715853/un-chief-antonio-guterres-chides-india-on-human-rights-record 

Weekly update 164: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   OCT, 11. 2022 to, Oct, 17 2022

1.     Two martyred; Oct,, 11 2022;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Islamabad district. The youth, identified as Aasif Ahmad Reshi, resident of Sheikhpora, Bijbehara, and Wakeel Ahmad Butt, resident of Naibasti, Marhama. were martyred by Indian troops and paramilitary forces during a cordon and search operation in Tengpowa area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

2.         

3.    Fake encounters: Oct., 14, 2022: A dossier compiled by Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) has exposed the brutal face of Indian forces’ personnel in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir by compiling a number of fake encounters. The dossier ays Indian occupation forces frequently conduct state-sponsored false flag operations to malign the Kashmir freedom movement and Pakistan. These false flag operations manifest into fake encounters through extra-judicial killings of innocent Kashmiris, who are portrayed as foreign terrorists through information offensive employing pliant Indian media and propaganda as a tool, it says. The LFK dossier points out that since 2000 till 10 October 2022, 146 major fake encounters have been reported in IIOJK in which 269 innocent people have been martyred. It also contains the details about the units of Indian Army, paramilitaries, police and other agencies involved in these staged encounters along with the details of the date and place of occurrence. .The dossier specially mentions the cold-blooded murder of Muhammad Ali Hussain (real name Uzair ur Rehman), a Pakistani national, who was detained in a jail in IIOJK and was killed in a fake encounter in Jammu. It says that in 2006, 26-year-old Muhammad Ali Hussain went missing from his home in Mohallah Akberabad, Haripur Division. Not being able to contact him, his brother reported the matter at a police station on 10 October 2006 and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the police.It says that the bereaved family of Muhammad Ali Hussain came to know about his whereabouts through media which reported the arrest of the innocent man by Indian police. Reportedly, on 10 November 2006, Muhammad Ali Hussain was arrested by Vijaynagar Police and subsequently after lapse of four years, on 19 November 2010, consular access was provided to him at Central Jail Tihar. Consular Access Performa shows that he was framed under various sections of Indian Penal Code including attempt to murder. Moreover, during custody he was subjected to brutal torture by the Indian police that resulted in damage to his right ear. The dossier maintains that on 1 July 2022, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, had shared a list of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails with Pakistani authorities in which despite of being in custody for more than fifteen years, Muhammad Ali Hussain was mentioned to be under-trial. It says that on 17 August, 2022, in a blatant display of state terrorism, Indian police took Muhammad Ali Hussain from Kothbalwal Jail in Jammu, brought him at Toph Arnia area and killed him in a staged encounter.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/13/lfk-dossier-exposes-fake-encounter-killings-by-indian-forces-in-iiojk.html 

Weekly update 163: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Oct ,4. 2022 to , Oct,10-,2022.

1.     Five martyred: Oct.,6, 2022:  Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred, today, five more Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. During cordon and search operations, the troops martyred three youth in Drach and one in Moolu areas of Shopian district .The troops shot at and injured a civilian, Asif Ahmad, at a check-point in Haal area of Pulwama district. Later, the victim succumbed to his injuries at SMHS hospital in Srinagar. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/05/indian-troops-martyr-four-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian.html

2.    Fake encounters: Oct. 0. 2022: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that Indian troops are killing innocent Kashmiri youth in fake encounters in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom struggle. The APHC spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the troops abduct innocent Kashmiri youth from their homes, streets and roads, and later extra-judicially kill them in fake encounters during so-called cordon and search operations. He said that in a similar way, the troops martyred four youth in Shopian district on Wednesday. The spokesman said Indian troops and police have subjected over 8,000 innocent Kashmiris to custodial disappearance since January 1989. He said the families of these persons fear that the forces’ personnel have killed their dear ones in so-called encounters and buried them in the unmarked and mass graves discovered across the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/08/indian-troops-killing-youth-in-fake-encounters-to-suppress-freedom-struggle-aphc.html

  

Weekly update 162: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Sep ,27. 2022 to , Oct,3-,2022.

1.     Two martyred: Sep., 28,2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, today, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Ahwatoo area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.  The fresh killing raised the number of martyred youth to three in less than twenty four hours. The troops martyred one youth and injured another in Batpora area of the same district, last night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/09/27/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-kulgam-three-in-less-than-24-hours.html

2.    Kashmiri diaspora leadership urges UN intervention in Kashmir ; by Dr. Fai  ; New York. September 28, 2022. : The leadership of Kashmiri diaspora in America has urged the United Nations Secretary General to invoke Article 99 of the United Nations Charter and bring the Governments of India and Pakistan on the negotiating table along with the genuine leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir to settle the conflict once and for all. The memorandum adds that the people of Jammu & Kashmir appreciate the principle stand of the United Nations which you articulated on August 8, 2019, that Kashmir issue has to be resolved under United Nations Charter and under applicable United nations Security Council resolutions. They, therefore, urge you to oblige India to fulfill its pledges of a free United Nations supervised plebiscite in order to ensure restoration of democracy and social justice in their land. The memorandum explains that the world has changed remarkably in recent years as the 77^th United Nations General Assembly opens. The United Nations can claim significant credit for assisting to bring freedoms to the nation of East Timor, Namibia, Southern Sudan and else. Because of the efforts of the United Nations, millions of people who have yearned for self-determination now find themselves free. Unfortunately, however, as the world rejoices and celebrates the freedoms of these nations, a small forgotten land continues to cry out for the United Nations intervention. It is the disputed territory of Indian occupied Kashmir. “For over 75 years, the people of Jammu & Kashmir have been peacefully struggling for their right to self-determination through a fair and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the U.N. While India has systematically enacted laws, like Domicile Law to integrate Kashmir into India. These laws are designed to change the demography of Kashmir which are in violations of 18 substantives United Nations resolutions adopted by the Security Council on Kashmir. India’s refusal to implement these resolutions calling for such a plebiscite is at the heart of the problem, and she has chosen the path of indiscriminate murder and intimidation instead of negotiations and peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the memorandum emphasizes.  The memorandum said that the U.N. has the ability to change this miscarriage of justice and to put an end to the violence. It is not enough to simply keep a record of cease-fire violations between India and Pakistan. Too many have died. In fact, the number of deaths exceeds 100,000. Mohammad Yasin Malik, the most revered and respected leader of Kashmir is facing a life and death situation. Shabir Ahmed Shah has spent 36 years in prison. Khurram Parvez, who according to TIME is one of the top 100 influential persons of 2022, has been charged under Unlawful Activity Prevention Act, Masarat Alam’s Public Safety Act (PSA) was quashed 35 times, but is still in Jail, Aasia Andrabi was slapped with PSA 20 times and has been transferred to Tihar Jail, India. There are hundreds of political prisoners who deserve your attention and intervention to be released unconditionally and without a delay  

3.    Two martyred; Oct., 1, 2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two innocent Kashmiri youth, today, in an extrajudicial manner in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter during a so-called cordon and search operation in Yedipora Pattan area of Baramulla district. Local people said that the youth were arrested by the troops a few days ago and were martyred in a staged encounter, today. The troops also destroyed a residential house in the area. Separately, the troops carried out a so-called cordon and search operation and resorted to firing at Chitragam in Shopian district, creating panic in the area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/09/30/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-fake-encounter-in-iiojk.html

4.    One martyred; Oct., 3, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, today ( Oct 2). The troops martyred the youth,  Naseer Ahmad Butt, a resident of Nowpora Baskuchan village in south Kashmir’s Shopain district, during a cordon and search operation (CASO) at Baskuchan village in Imamsahib area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/10/02/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-4.html 

 

Weekly update 161: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Sep ,20. 2022 to , Sep,26-,2022.

1.     Fai congratulates newly elected President of United Nations General Assembly: Washington, D.C. September 21. 2022: “Our mission is to support concrete solutions having a direct impact on the lives of the people and the planet. Times is running out and the price we are paying for delays is on the rise…The protection of human rights and the fight against all forms of discrimination should be further mainstreamed into our decisions,” this is the vision of Ambassador Kőrösi Csaba, newly elected President of 77^th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, Washington-based ‘World Forum for Peace and Justice’ expressed his appreciation to the newly elected President of UNGA for his inspirational insight. Fai also offered, on behalf of the people of Jammu & Kashmir sincerest congratulations on his election as the President of UNGA.“May I be permitted to raise the unresolved question of Kashmir with you briefly. I would hasten to add that while we are fully aware of the multiplicity of issues that you will be devoting your time and attention to in the months to come, you may perhaps like to remember that Kashmir is not a new issue, having been on the agenda of and in the cognizance of the United Nations for nearly 75 years.  Ironically, it is the only entity in the region of South Asia, which has so far been denied the opportunity to determine its political future,” Fai emphasized. Dr. Fai clarified that, we are by no means unmindful of the fact that, in your capacity as the President of UNGA, you have to be impartial between the parties concerned and perceived to be so. However, it is, therefore, on the ground of the recognized principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect for international agreements and for the resolutions of the Security Council that we approach you with the appeal that you exercise your good offices to urge India and Pakistan to explore a solution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of all zones of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Fai warned that the persistence of this problem has been a source of weakness for both India and Pakistan. It has diminished both these neighboring countries. The world powers draw great satisfaction from India’s striking economic progress which will enable India to play its rightful role as a great power. That kind of role can only be hobbled by a festering problem. A great power cannot afford disputed boundaries if it wishes to maintain or enhance its prestige and influence; a small or even a medium power can live with them indefinitely.  Dr. Fai drew the attention of the President to the observations made by some Indian intellectuals, diplomats and journalist who perceive a growing awareness in the Indian middle class that the persistence of the Kashmir problem weakens India by diminishing its stature among the great powers. As a matter of fact, there have always existed saner elements in India which have questioned both the ethics and the practical advantage of India’s intransigence on Kashmir. As they have received little support from outside, they have remained mostly subdued. But the apparent failure of India’s policies, the tattered regime it maintains in Kashmir and the losses it has made to sustain in Kashmir, despite the employment of an overwhelming force  900,000 Indian army  to brutalize the people into submission  all these seem to be bringing home to more and more people in India, even in its army, that the game is not worth the candle. But this constructive trend will vanish if the world powers are seen as tolerant of India’s obduracy and unmindful of healthier opinion in India itself about what is best for India. It should not be futile now to ask that Kashmir be looked at not as a dispute between India and Pakistan but as a problem of India and Pakistan together. Fai urged the President, UNGA to use his office to persuade India to rescind the Domicile Law immediately which is designed to change the demography of Kashmir; and which is in violations of all the UN Security Council resolutions which were accepted not only India and Pakistan but also by the world body.

2.    Two martyred: Sep., 26, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today( sep 25).The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Tekri Nar area of Machil in the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/09/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-5.html 

Weekly update 160: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Sep ,13, 2022 to , Sep,19-,2022.

1.     One martyred: Sep., 13. 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, today(Sep 12) .The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Heff Shirmal area of the district https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/09/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmniri-youth-in-iiojk.html

2.    Two martyred: Sep., 15, 2022: Two martyred in a gunfight in the Nowgam area of Srinagar district on Wednesday evening, police said. Kashmir Zone Police informed that a gunfight broke out in the Nowgam area on specific information generated by police. https://thekashmirwalla.com/two-aguh-militants-killed-in-srinagar-gunfight-says-police/ 

Weekly update 159: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Sep ,6, 2022 to , Sep,12-,2022.

1.     Two Martyred: Sep., 6, 2022: Two  Mujahids martyred in encounter with indian army at #Poshkeeri area of #Anantnag in South Kashmir has been identified as Danish Bhat @ Kokab Duree from Jablipora & Basharat Nabi from Fethapora . https://thekashmirwalla.com/anantnag-gunfight-two-militants-killed-operation-on-2/.

2.    Report: Sep., 9,2022:Kashmir Media Service, in collaboration with All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Kashmir Chapter, today, released a report based on data about the human rights violations and atrocities being committed on innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces during the last six months in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The six months report, from January 2022 to June 2022, said that 140 persons, including five young boys, were martyred by Indian troops in the occupied territory.The report said that Indian troops, involved in gross human rights violations and other crimes, have arrested over 854 youth and injured 104 people during cordon and search operations in the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/09/08/indian-troops-martyred-140-persons-during-last-6-month-in-iiojk-report.html 

Weekly update 158: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Aug ,30, 2022 to , Sep,5-,2022.

1.     Rape by Indian Armed Forces men unpunished: Aug., 31, 2022:On 29 May 2009, two young women, Asiya (17) and her sister-in-law Neelofar (22), married to Shakeel Ahmad Ahanger, went missing in the evening while returning home from their family orchard in Nagbal area of South Kashmir’s Shopian. On the following morning, they were found dead near the Rambiara Nala by a team of cops along with Shakeel; leaving behind his barely 2-year-old son, Suzain. After the initial investigation, on the direction of Omar Abdullah led government, Justice Jan Commission was formed to deliver the justice. The report by the commission concluded that the two women have been raped and murdered by ‘men in uniform’. Later on, a number of Indian investigative agencies came into the scene only to spoil the broth. It’s been 12 years, and every wound is still burning. We are still suffering the same what we were suffering then,” says Ahanger, sitting in an under-lit room, displaying the timeline of his life through magazine covers since May 2009. As the tired Ahanger narrated, the long struggle for justice has always been a walk on spikes for his family. http://kmsnews.org/news/category/articles/

2.    Amnesty International ; Sep 4 2022; Amnesty International on Saturday expressed grave concern over the intensified repression of rights in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years. In a report titled, “‘We are being punished by the law’: Three years since of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir” released yesterday, the human rights watchdog observed that in recent years, civil society members, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders in the region had faced relentless interrogations, arbitrary travel bans, revolving door detentions and repressive media policies. “For three years now, civil society and media in Jammu and Kashmir have been subjected to a vicious crackdown by the Indian government, which is determined to stifle dissent using draconian laws, policies and unlawful practices in their arsenal,” said Aakar Patel, chair of the board of Amnesty International India, in the report. “By harassing and intimidating critical voices, authorities are targeting all credible, independent sources of information in and about Jammu and Kashmir. There is a silence achieved on all dissent through heavy-handed repression which has spread fear and uncertainty in the region,” he added. The watchdog said that it had recorded at least 60 instances of crackdowns on journalists and human rights defenders since August 2019.  “After an initial 18-month internet shutdown, the Indian authorities still often suspend internet services in various parts of Kashmir often without any prior notice,” the report highlighted, adding that the sudden “forced closure” of the Kashmir Press Club in 2022 by the Indian government was a “big blow to the already disintegrating media pool”.The human rights body also found that at least six individuals  including journalists, human rights activists and academics in the region  were stopped from travelling abroad despite having requisite travel documents, which it said was a violation of their freedom of movement.The report stated that at least 27 journalists had been arrested and detained by the Indian authorities since 5 August 2019. “Several journalists including Fahad Shah, Aasif Sultan and Sajad Gul have been subjected to ‘revolving door’ arrests. In a continuing pattern, they have been arrested under one law, granted bail by the court, and then re-arrested almost immediately under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — India’s primary anti-terror law in Jammu & Kashmir, keeping them perpetually detained. “Amnesty International reviewed 1,346 cases available on the website of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir. It found that by 1 August 2022, the number of habeas corpus petitions have increased by 32 per cent, indicating an increase in unlawful detention in the last three years,” it revealed. Amnesty International also reviewed the data published by the Indian National Crime Record Bureau and found that there had been a 12pc increase in the use of UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019. “This emerging trend of using the draconian UAPA in addition to the much-abused Public Safety Act (PSA) is also evidenced by an analysis of information on the High Court’s website,” it noted. Furthermore, the human rights watchdog said that unlawful killings of the people of occupied Kashmir by armed groups had recently increased. Quoting an analysis of the official data by the Indian government, it said that unlawful killings of civilians by armed groups had increased by 20pc in the past three years. “There is a lack of accountability for use of force in the region by the police due to the continued enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) which grants them additional powers and impunity and falls short of international human rights standards.”Subsequently, Amnesty called on the Indian government to immediately release those arbitrarily detained under administrative detention and other repressive laws and ensure that they were tried promptly and fairly in a regular court. https://www.dawn.com/news/1708212/amnesty-expresses-grave-concern-over-repression-of-rights-in-occupied-kashmir

Weekly update 157: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Aug ,23, 2022 to , Aug,29-,2022.

1.     Two martyred: Aug 24 2022:  in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district, today(Aug, 23, 2022. The troops during their continued violent military operations martyred the youth in Pukharni in Nowsherea area of the district. An official told media men that the troops deployed near the Line of Control killed two persons and their bodies are lying near the fence, while attempts are being made to recover them. Earlier on Sunday, during operation the troops shot and injured a youth and arrested him while he was looking after his cattle near the Line of Control near the fence. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-rajouri.html

2.    Three martyred: Aug. 26, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today(Aug 25).The troops martyred the youth during a violent military operation in Kamalkote, Uri area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/25/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-2.html

3.    British report on human rights violations in IOJ&K: Aug., 26, 2022: The Stoke White Investigations (SWI) said in a report, released on Wednesday, that there were 450 incidents of violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in 2020-21, exposing Indian brutalities and war crimes against the Kashmiri people. The report, titled ‘India Silencing Journalism and Human Rights in Kashmir’ also said that there were 100 of enforced disappearances in IIOJK besides 30 cases of sexual violence and 1,500 cases of pellet guns were reported. The Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) and the Britain-based investigating unit, the SWI issued a report on human rights violations in IIOJK for documenting the Indian war crimes at the Islamabad Press Club. It also released dossier on India’s treatment of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders in IIOJK. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2373053/british-investigators-expose-indias-war-crimes-in-iiojk

 

Weekly update 156: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Aug ,16, 2022 to , Aug,22-,2022.

1.     Lest we forget: Khurram ParvezLPart one of two parts article: by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai: Aug., 18, 2022:  We are too familiar with hacking of Kashmiri websites, now we are experiencing the same with one of the most familiar and the most visited websites of ‘Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society’, (JKCCS) of which Khurram Parvez is the coordinator. This JKCSS website was hacked many times in the past. It happened again today, August 15, 2022, at 12.15 p.m. (New York time). JKCCS homepage contains the unintelligible and incomprehensible message. At times, it is impossible even to download the excellent reports prepared by Khurram Parvez and his team. Therefore, I consider it a privilege to write a brief account about the reports, prepared by JKCCS before they evaporate from its website. I want in particular to discuss a 799-pages report entitled, “The Structure of Violence (TSOV)” jointly prepared by ‘The International Peoples' Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir’[IPTK] and ‘The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons’ [APDP]. TSOV report encapsulates in chilling detail the tragedy of Kashmir. It documents the gross violations of human rights that India and its occupation forces now believed to number 900,000, have committed in Kashmir since 1990. I would like to emphasize that every single fact contained in these painstaking accounts, every single incident documented, every violation recorded is fully authenticated. You merely will have to read the entries to experience the clear ring of truth, which in Kashmir is often brutal and chilling. These reports are the best testimonies, testimonies which remain unassailable and beyond challenge, of the atrocities perpetrated against innocent Kashmiri civilians in the name of state security. These are the documents that damn those who profess to practice democracy and who never tire of lecturing the rest of the world on higher moral values. The reality of the Indian state is mirrored in these pages, unadorned, unvarnished, and unexpurgated. Please read this report for what it says because it tells the story of Kashmir with brutal frankness, unsparing realism and absolute clarity. Khurram Parvez, Chairperson of Philippines-based ‘Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances” himself has delivered the hard copies of the TSOV report to the office of ‘UN High Commissioner on Human Rights’ Office of the ‘UN Secretary General’, many international NGO’s and various dignitaries. Although Khurram Parvez was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people of the world by US-based Time Magazine in 2022 but he can no longer present this report to anybody anymore because he was arrested by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) of India on November 21, 2021, under terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Under UAPA a person can be incarcerated up to 180 days without a charge sheet being filed. It does not allow right to dissent. The Amnesty International (AI) has said that UAPA has been used to “target journalists and human rights defenders who criticize government policies.” AI also wrote on November 23, 2021, “The arrest of Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez is yet another example of how anti-terror laws are being misused to criminalize human rights work & stifle dissent in India. Instead of targeting HRDs, authorities should focus on bringing accountability for human rights violations.” The arrest of Khurram Parvez is, ‘a really troubling development’ wrote New York-based Human Rights Watch; and Geneva-based The World Organisation Against Torture’ called for the immediate release of Khurram Parvez. Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defender tweeted: ‘Khurram Parvez is not a terrorist. He is a Human Rights Defender.’ Khurram Parvez spoke at an International Kashmir Conference in 2015, organized by ‘World Kashmir Awareness Forum’. Among others who spoke during the conference included Ramsay Clark, former United States Attorney General. Khurram Parvez focused on the context in which human rights abuses in the state of Jammu and Kashmir were perceived. ‘You cannot understand human rights if you don’t understand the context. Human rights abuses are taking place all around the world, in many places, including in India,’ Khurram stated. ‘But the difference is these are happening because of aberrations, deficiencies in governance, and because people transgress the law. What is happening in Kashmir is not an aberration, it is part of an institutionalized policy of the Indian government.’ Highlighting the publication of various reports, Khurram said ‘Our argument is that if we don’t do it we will never be able to prove that human rights abuses are taking place. We have been able to engage with the Jammu and Kashmir judiciary.’ With information coming from both police and government sources, he emphasized that in the cases under review, including Kunan Poshpura in 1991 and the massacre of Sikhs on the eve of President Clinton’s visit to India in March 2000, there were 972 alleged perpetrators. ‘In all these cases we have gone to the courts and tried our best to find justice within the Indian system.’ Furthermore, Mr. Parvez emphasized that the cases they had reviewed were not the only cases. ‘There are thousands of others. Filing a First Information Report (FIR) is a big task in itself, it can take 1-2 years to get the police to register a complaint, so you can imagine how difficult it is for people to fight for justice. Then there is a phase of investigation and sometimes the charge sheets have not been honored. This is especially true in circumstances where the army feels itself above the law’. Repression and cover-up has become institutionalized, Khurram said. In terms of delivering justice, he emphasized that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) ‘has become one of the factors of impunity. It has to go.’ Mr. Parvez also explained that one of the main reasons relating to disappearances was the monetary incentive for killing a ‘militant’ in Kashmir. ‘If you want to make money you have to kill a militant.’ According to government figures, since there are only 150 militants left in Jammu and Kashmir, invariably those killed were claimed to be unidentified foreign militants. But he said, ‘how do you know the nationality of people if they are unidentified?’ Turning to discuss the role of the international community, Mr. Parvez related how previously it had used human rights abuses to push India towards dialogue. But, he said, the Indian government views dialogue as an ‘end in itself’ and the rights of the people cannot wait for the resolution of the dispute. ‘We are being held hostage for even our basic needs. Even when dialogue is taking place, human rights are being abused. We accept that the Indian government needs some time for resolution but that does not mean the rights of the people should be suspended. We believe there has to be a process, now in Kashmir, for improving human rights abuses on the pattern of special procedures. If it was done for Sri Lanka and Rwanda why not for Kashmir?’ ‘Human rights are a world problem,’ Mr. Parvez added. ‘They are not an internal matter. We have seen the transformation of the movement from violence to nonviolence in Kashmir.’ But, he warned, there was a trend among young people again resorting to violence. ‘It is very sad for us, that young people should want to use violence. But the argument they use is that our voice does not reach anywhere.’ While India continues to ‘legitimize’ its presence, Mr. Parvez pleaded for the international community, whose assistance to date had been ‘dismal’ and all the organizations working for Kashmir to bring pressure to lobby for a United Nations ‘probe’ on the situation in Kashmir. Without such intervention, he said, ‘we cannot proceed forward. We are now at a stage where it is a complete dead end. We have done everything; we have met everyone in the government, but nothing has changed. Now, back to ‘The Structure of Violence’ (TSOV ) report. It is a detailed report on torture by Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. The report begins by saying that “Prepared over two years, this report is a part of the continuing work to understand and analyze the role of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir, an occupied territory internationally recognized as a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, that has resulted in widespread and systematic violence including the disappearance of 8000+ persons, 70,000+ deaths, 6000+ unknown, unmarked and mass graves, and countless cases of torture and sexual violence.” It continues, “Human rights groups, activists, journalists, filmmakers, lawyers and civil society groups have written, filmed, documented, litigated, brought attention to, and reproduced material that has repeatedly highlighted the violence and politics of the Indian State and the everyday militarized reality of Jammu and Kashmir.” May I quote just few more excerpts from TSOV report as symbolic of the nightmare of the people of Kashmir. May I also add that hundreds of such and even more horrifying incidents of inhumanity are recorded in these pages. TSOV report, while illustrating the patterns of violence through individual case studies, is directly concerned with identifying the structure, forms, and tactics of violence of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir. How did/does the Indian State perpetrate this violence? What precisely is the structure, physical and institutional, through which weapons, ammunition, soldiers, officers, camps, and battalions inflict violence on the people of Jammu and Kashmir? Where is the control? The driving motivation of this exercise is, as has always been Responsibility. Who do we hold responsible for the individual and collected acts of violence?  (To be concluded).

2.    Prisoner martyred: Aug., 19, 2022:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir; the Indian police martyred a prisoner in a fake encounter in Jammu district. Indian police took a political prisoner Mohammad Ali Hussain from Kothbalwal Jail Jammu and brought him to Toph Arnia area and killed him in the staged encounter. This is the second extrajudicial killing of AJK prisoners as earlier one political prisoner , Zia Mustafa, from Rawalakot, was taken out of the Kothbalwal jail jammu and brought to forests in Poonch by the Indian troops and was subsequently killed in firing in October 2021.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/18/prisoner-martyred-by-indian-police-in-jammu.html

Weekly update 155: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Aug ,9, 2022 to , Aug,15-,2022.

1.     Two martyred; Aug 11 2022; Indian troops martyred two Kashmiri youth (Aug 10) near an Indian army camp in Pargal area in what appears to be another India ploy to implicate  Kashmiri youth and create environment of fear with an aim of maligning freedom struggle and Pakistan. The fresh incident just ahead of Indian Independence Day celebrations seems to be another orchestrated drama for multiple purposes by the right-wing driven Bharatiya Janata Party government in India. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/11/ahead-of-independence-day-is-rajouri-attack-another-false-flag-operation-by-india-in-iiojk.html

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Weekly update 154: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Aug ,2, 2022 to , Aug,8-,2022.

1.     Human Rights Watch ; Aug 4 2022;Indian authorities are restricting free expression, peaceful assembly, and other basic rights in Jammu and Kashmir three years after revoking the region’s special autonomous status, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s repressive policies and failure to investigate and prosecute alleged security force abuses have increased insecurity among Kashmiris. On August 5, 2019, the Indian government, promising security and reform, revoked the constitutional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir and split the state into two federally governed territories. The government action was accompanied by serious rights violations including arbitrary detention of hundreds of people, a total communications blackout, and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. Since then, the authorities have released many of the detainees and restored the internet, but have intensified their crackdown on media and civil society groups, including through frequent use of counterterrorism and public safety laws. “The government needs to end the assault on fundamental freedoms and act to protect minority groups at risk.”The authorities have invoked the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, as well as terrorism allegations, to conduct raids and arbitrarily detain journalists, activists, and political leaders without evidence and meaningful judicial review. The authorities have also barred several prominent Kashmiris from traveling abroad without providing reasons. Since August 2019, militants have killed at least 118 civilians, including 21 people from minority Hindu and Sikh communities. In November 2021, the authorities arrested a prominent Kashmiri human rights activist, Khurram Parvez, on politically motivated charges under the abusive counterterrorism law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Parvez, 44, is the program coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and the chair of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances. He has documented cases of enforced disappearances and investigated unmarked graves in Kashmir, and as a result, the Indian authorities have repeatedly targeted him for his human rights work. United Nations human rights experts, calling for his immediate release, expressed “regret that the Government continues to use the UAPA as a means of coercion to restrict civil society’s, the media’s and human rights defenders’ fundamental freedoms.”Journalists in Kashmir face increasing harassment by security forces, including raids and arbitrary arrests on terrorism charges. Authorities in India have shut down the internet more often than anywhere else in the world. A majority of those shutdowns have been in Kashmir, where they are used to curb protests and access to information. Since August 2019, at least 35 journalists in Kashmir have faced police interrogation, raids, threats, physical assault, restrictions on freedom of movement, or fabricated criminal cases for their reporting. In June 2020, the government announced a new media policy that made it easier for the authorities to censor news in the region. In 2022, the authorities rearrested Fahad Shah, Aasif Sultan, and Sajad Gul under the Public Safety Act after they had been granted bail separately in other cases filed against them in retaliation for their journalism work. Since 2019, the security forces have been implicated in numerous abuses including routine harassment and ill-treatment at checkpoints, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial killings. In March 2021, five UN expert mandates wrote to the Indian government seeking information about the detention of a Kashmiri politician, Waheed Para; the alleged killing in custody of a shopkeeper, Irfan Ahmad Dar; and the enforced disappearance of Naseer Ahmad Wani, a resident of Shopian district. They raised concerns about “the repressive measures and broader pattern of systematic infringements of fundamental rights used against the local population, as well as of intimidations, searches, and confiscations committed by national security agents.”There has been no accountability for these recent alleged extrajudicial killings or past killings and abuses by security forces, in part because of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which gives members of the armed forces effective immunity from prosecution. Since the law came into force in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, the Indian government has not granted permission to prosecute any security force personnel in civilian courts. Rights groups have long documented that the law has become a tool of state abuse, oppression, and discrimination, and called for its repeal. Affected residents, activists, government-appointed committees, politicians, and UN human rights bodies have also criticized the law . Instead of addressing human rights concerns, Indian officials have sought to project the appearance of progress, Human Rights Watch said. A year ago, the foreign minister said government policies in Kashmir have led to real “democracy, development, good governance and empowerment.” In July, during a visit to Kashmir, the home minister said that “a new era was established in Kashmir,” and that it was on the “path of peace and development.”“The security forces’ raids and targeted attacks by militants in Kashmir are grim reminders of the unending cycle of violence linked to repressive Indian government policies and the failure to bring abusive forces to account,” Ganguly said. “The Indian authorities should ensure justice for security force abuses and end policies that violate the fundamental rights of Kashmiri people.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/02/india-repression-persists-jammu-and-kashmir

2.    One martyred; Aug 6 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, today(Aug5), martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Redwani area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/05/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam-5.html

3.    Human rights; Aug 8 2022; Human rights violations have shown a massive increase in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since August 5, 2019 when the Modi-led fascist Indian government repealed Kashmir’s special status and imposed military siege in the territory. As many as 663 innocent Kashmiris fell to Indian bullets, 17993 people were arrested, 2278 injured, 1093 houses destroyed and 125 women were molested by Indian troops since Aug 5, 2019 in IIOJK, said a report released by the KMS, today. It said systematic human rights violations are being continuously committed with impunity by Indian troops in the occupied territory, adding that several global rights groups have time and again raised alarm about the worsening rights situation. The report said the Modi regime’s August 5, 2019 actions and thereafter is gross violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. India has unleashed a reign of terror against IIOJK’s Muslim population, it lamented. It deplored that the Kashmiri youth were being killed in fake encounters and in so-called cordon and search operations (CASOs) by Indian troops, adding that 96,095 Kashmiris had been killed since January 1989 to July 2021 in IIOJK. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/08/07/hr-violations-show-massive-increase-in-iiojk-since-aug-5-2019.html

Weekly update 153: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jul ,23, 2022 to , Aug,1-,2022.

1.     Destroying Property; July 30 2022; Following Israeli tactic, Modi’s Hindutva regime has started attaching properties of the Kashmiris in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to put pressure on them to give up their legitimate struggle for internationally recognized right to self-determination.In its latest drive to render the Kashmiris homeless in their own homeland, the Modi-led fascist Indian government has attached the houses of five more Kashmiris under draconian law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Srinagar, said a report released, today, by Kashmir Media Service.The report pointed out that Modi is following in the footsteps of Israel that has been, for decades, demolishing the houses of Palestinian people and snatching their ancestral lands to make way for Jewish settlements in the occupied territory. It said attaching properties of Kashmiris is sheer political vendetta on part of the Indian regime and is meant to bully them into withdrawing their support to the freedom movement.The report said that besides attaching Kashmiris’ properties on one pretext or another, Indian troops are regularly destroying Kashmiris’ houses during violent military operations.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/29/modi-regimes-policy-of-attaching-kashmiris-properties-sheer-political-vendetta.html

2.    One martyred July 30 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Wanigam Bala area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/30/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-2.html

3.    One martyred; Aug1 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today(July 3) .The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter in the garb of a cordon and search operation in Binner area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/31/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla.html 

Weekly update 151: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jul ,12, 2022 to , Jul  ,18,2022.

1.     Two martyred; July 12, 2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on the second day of Eidul Azha, today(July 11 According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were martyred by Indian troops during cordon and search operation in Wandakpora area of Pulwama district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/11/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama.html

2.    Martyrs’ Day; July 15 2022; Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over observed the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, today, to reaffirm the pledge that they will continue their struggle till they achieve their inalienable right to self-determination. The day is observed every year on 13th of July in memory of the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who were shot dead by the troops of Dogra Maharaja on this day in 1931. They were part of thousands of people who had assembled outside Central Jail, Srinagar, during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked the Kashmiris to defy the Dogra rule. At the time of Namaz-e-Zuhr, a young man started Azaan and was killed by the Dogra soldiers. Another took his place and he was also martyred by the troops. Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/13/kashmiris-observe-martyrs-day-2.html

Weekly update 150: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jul ,5, 2022 to , Jul  ,12,2022.

1.     One martyred; July 0 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today (July8). The troops martyred the youth during a search operation in Tangdhar area of the district. Meanwhile, an Indian army soldier was also killed in an attack in the same area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/08/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-3.html

2.    Youth tortured to Death; July 11 2022; Grief-stricken cries emanate from the corner window of a single-storied house in Srinagar’s Natipora locality Inside the house, two women are trying to console Shafiqa, a middle-aged woman in a black qameez with bright floral prints, who is crying for her “groom” son to return home. “Where have you gone, my brave son? Come to your mother. I will renounce this life only to get a glimpse of you, my friend.” Fifty-three-year-old Shafiqa’s son, Muslim Muneer Lone, 21, was detained by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on July 9 for his alleged involvement in a theft case (FIR No 95/2022). A police team from the Nowgam police station in Srinagar came to their house at around 9:30 am on Saturday, according to the family. “A policeman (name withheld) told me that Muslim was being probed in a case of theft and that they will set him free soon. Had I known that he was going to get killed, I would have never let them  In the afternoon, Shafiqa said the same police team dropped in again. According to her, there were only male policemen and they had come in a private car. “They told me that I have to come to the police station because Muslim had lost consciousness. I felt terrified,” she recalled, as a woman tucked loose strands of Shafiqa’s hair under a translucent scarf covering her head. About 15 minutes into the journey, the car came to a grinding halt, “The policeman asked me to shift to another vehicle which was parked on the roadside. When I got into the car, I saw Muslim lying on the middle seat. He couldn’t talk. They made me sign some papers and gave me Rs 400,” she said, loosening the knot at the corner of her scarf in which she had kept the cash. Instead of going to a hospital or to the police station, the policemen brought the woman and her son back to their residence. “They hauled Muslim into a room with their hands. One of the cops asked us to switch on the fan and open the curtains. Muslim was unresponsive but they told us that he had lost consciousness,” Shafiqa said, showing a purported missed call that one of the investigators allegedly made to his phone at 4:38 pm before leaving the house.With the police team gone, Muslim’s condition showed no sign of improvement. “When we checked him, he had lost his breath. I immediately put him into my car and rushed him to a private hospital nearby where doctors declared him brought dead,” Zeeshan, Muslim’s cousin, told The Wire. Shocked by the turn of events, the aggrieved family, instead of returning home, held a demonstration along with the dead body on the main road outside their locality in Srinagar on Saturday night. Shouting anti-police and pro-Islam slogans, the protesters alleged that Muslim was tortured in police custody which led to his death. The demonstration continued till Saturday midnight. It is not clear why a person in custody whose condition had deteriorated to the point that he had lost consciousness was not rushed to the hospital for treatment. “They are trying to cover up the crime,” alleged Zeeshan, Muslim’s cousin. “Has the police ever caught him with drugs? There is no police case against him anywhere in Kashmir. They are justifying his death by saying that he was a drug addict. We demand an impartial probe.” At the aggrieved family’s single-storied house, one of the neighbours told The Wire that Muslim’s father, Muneer Ahmad Lone, who worked in the Srinagar Cantonment of the Army, died some years ago after which the family slipped into poverty. “Muslim had brought a load carrier recently with which he used to make some money and run his family. With his death, the family has been destroyed,” said the neighbour, requesting anonymity.“Only he (Muslim) knew what happened to him at the police station. Had he got a breath of life, he could have told us when the police brought him home. But he was dead already. He could not utter even a word,” said Fancy, a relative of Muslim’s. https://thewire.in/rights/kashmir-21-year-old-died-because-of-torture-in-police-custody-alleges-family

3.    Youth tortured to Death in custody; July  11 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian police arrested a youth in Srinagar city and martyed him in custody.The youth was arrested rom Natipora area of the city and was later tortured and killed in custody. People staged a sit-in protest along with the martyred body in the area and demanded justice. The protesters shouted slogans like “We want freedom” and “We want justice. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/07/10/indian-police-martyred-youth-in-custody-in-srinagar.html

 

Weekly update 149: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jun ,28, 2022 to , Jul  ,5,2022.

1.     Two martyred; June 28 2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today(June 27).The youth were martyred by Indian troops and paramilitary forces during a cordon and search operation at Trubji area of Kulgam district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/27/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam-4.html

2.    Two martyred; June 29 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, today (June 28). The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter in Keran area of the district. Locals told the media that the troops picked up the youth from their homes and later killed them in a staged encounter. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/28/indian-troops-martyr-2-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara.html

3.     

4.    Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir 

Weekly update 148: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jun ,21, 2022 to , Jun  ,28,2022.

1.     Three martyred; June 21 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three more Kashmiri youth in the territory, today(June20). One of the two youth martyred by Indian troops and paramilitary forces in the garb of a so-called cordon and search operation in Lolab area of Kupwara district was already in the custody of Indian army. He was brought to the operation site and shot dead by the troops in a fake encounter. A third youth was martyred by the troops during a cordon and search operation at Chatapora area of Pulwama district. Pertinently, the death toll of martyrs, killed by Indian troops during cordon and search operation reached to seven during past 24 hours in the Kashmir valley. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/20/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

2.    Four martyred; June 22 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla and Pulwama districts, today(June 21). Two youth were martyred by the troops and paramilitary forces during a continued cordon and search operation in Tujan area of Pulwama district. Another two were martyred by the troops in Tulibal area of Sopore town in Baramulla district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/21/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

3.    International Widows Day and Kashmir; June 23, 2022: As the world is observing the International Widows Day, today, Kashmiri women continue to suffer at the hands of Indian troops, police and dreaded agencies in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Widows Day, today, the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,944 women widowed since January 1989 till date as their husbands were martyred by Indian troops and police personnel. It said around 2500 women have been forced to live as half widows during the past 34. The women whose husbands were subjected to custodial disappearance after arrest by Indian army and police are referred to as half widows. According to the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons and other human rights groups in IIOJK, between 8,000 to 10,000 men have disappeared in the custody of Indian troops and police personnel since 1989, it said. For years, half widows in IIOJK have been running from one Indian army and paramilitary camps to another trying to find whereabouts of their husbands, it added. The report maintained that 681 women have been martyred by the troops and paramilitary forces since January 2001 till date. It pointed out that womenfolk constitutes the majority of the Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychic problems. “Due to unending agony, Kashmiri widows, half widows are suffering from psychological problems. As per a study, women comprise more than 60% of psychiatric patients in IIOJK,” it added. The report said the Kashmiri women are targeted for raising their voice against Indian brutalities. Dozens of women including Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen and others are languishing in different jails of India and IIOJK for their affiliation with the ongoing right to self determination movement, it said. The report underscored that the International Widows Day is a reminder for the world to realize the plight of Kashmiri widows and half-widows. #PlightOfWidowsOfKashmirConflict https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/23/22944-women-widowed-in-kashmir-since-1989.html

4.    #SystematicUseOfTortureInIIOJK, June ,2, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India is using physical, mental and psychological torture at a large scale as a tool to prolong its illegal hold on Kashmir and to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, today, revealed that Indian troops during their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 96,079 Kashmiris including 7,242 in custody and fake encounters since January 1989 till date. The report said that Indian troops and police personnel arrested 164,906 Kashmiris, including women and children, during crackdowns and military operations since 1989 till date. “These arrested people were physically and mentally tortured by the Indian army, paramilitary and police personnel in different interrogation centers, police stations and jails. The use of torture by the troops has been widespread and indiscriminate in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” it said. It said 96,622 Kashmiris, including men, women and children, have been injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets, teargas shells and systematic use of torture by Indian troops and police personnel on the people in IIOJK since 2000. It said hundreds of persons, including 19-month-old Hiba Jan, 8-year-old Shahid Fayaz, 9-year-old Owais Ahmed, Asif Ahmed Sheikh,10, Aaqib Zahoor, 16, Ulfat Hameed, 17), Bilal Ahmed Butt. 17), Insha Mushtaq, 18, Tariq Ahmed Gojri,19, Faizan Ashraf Tantray, 19, Nadeem, 15, Sahil Hameed Butt, Ifra, Shabroza, Parvez Ahmed, 20, Danish Rajab, 24, Shakeela, 30, Zahid Nisar, 14, Yawar Yousuf, Qisar Ahmed and Arif Ahmed Wagay, 22, have lost their eyesight in one or both eyes due to pellet injuries. The report said Indian Army and police have established scores of torture centres in occupied Kashmir where innocent Kashmiris are subjected to various kinds of brutal methods to extract information and confessional statements from them. “Cargo, Harinivas, Papa-1 and Papa-II, and Humhama and police stations are the most notorious interrogation centres where thousands of Kashmiris lost their lives due to severe torture during interrogation. Even top APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, died in custody, while prominent liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru, were hanged to death on the basis of a confessional statement and fake cases which was extracted on the basis of torture during custody,” it added. The report said that thousands of Hurriyat leaders, activists, politicians and journalists including APHC Chairman, Masarrat Aalam Butt, , Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Mushtaqul Islam, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Yusuf Falahi, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai,Hayat Ahmed Butt, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Ghulam Qadir Butt, Dr Muhammad Shafi Shariati, human rights defender, Khuram Parviaz, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, journalist, Aasif Sultan, Fahad Shah and others remain lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India under black laws, Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act (UAPA) in fake cases registered against them to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing right to self-determination demand. The report pointed out that the life of the people of occupied Kashmir has become a living hell since August 05, 2019, when the Narendra Modi-led fascist government repealed the special status of IIOJK by violating international laws and placed it under military siege. “Occupied Kashmir has been turned into the world’s largest prison and military state by India,” it said. The report said, India is carrying out the genocide of Kashmiris for the past over seven decades and the killing spree witnessed a massive surge since August 05, 2019. Kashmiri youth are picked up from their homes, killed in fake encounters and buried at unknown locations, it said. The report said that India should allow unconditional access to international human rights organizations to IIOJK to assess the prevailing human rights situation in the territory. New Delhi should also ratify the UN Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, it said. The report maintained that despite facing India’s worst kind of torture and nefarious tactics, Kashmiris are determined to take their freedom movement to its logical conclusion. It said that the world community, particularly the UN must take cognizance of New Delhi’s brutal actions in IIOJK and come forward in a big way to save the Kashmiris from the Indian atrocity https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/26/india-using-torture-as-tool-to-suppress-kashmiris-struggle-in-iiojk.html 

 

Weekly update 147: - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jun ,14, 2022 to , Jun  ,21,2022.

1.     Two martyred; June 15, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar district, today (June 14). The youth were martyred by troops and paramilitary forces during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Bemina area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/14/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-4.html

2.    Two martyred; June 16, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today(une15). According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kanjikullar area of the district. The troops sealed all entry and exit points of the area, restricting the movement of the residents. They also did not allow the media persons to enter the area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/15/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-2

3.    Four martyred; June 20, 2022: Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in two different areas of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, today(June 19). The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation in Lolab area of Kupwara district. In another operation later, the troops martyred two more youth in D.H Pora area of Kulgam District.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/19/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-iiojk-3.html

   

Weekly update 146 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   Jun , 2022 to , Jun  ,14,2022.

1.     Four martyred; June 07, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Kupwara and Baramulla districts. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Kandi area of Kupwara district.    https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/07/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

2.    Two martyred; June 12, 2022: Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyr two more youth in Pulwama and Kulgam districts, today. The troops martyred one youth each in Drabgam area of Pulwama and Khandipora area of Kulgam during cordon and search operations. The authorities also suspended internet service in the areas and the operations were going on till last reports came in. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/11/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-3.html

3.    Four martyred; June 13, 2022: Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (June 12) .The troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Drabgam area of Pulwama district. Another youth Adil Parray was martyred by the troops in Kreesbal Palpora area of Srinagar district on Sunday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/12/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk.html

  

Weekly update 145 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   may 31, 2022 to , Jun  ,7,2022.

1.     Two martyred; Jun 1 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today (May 31). The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Rajpora area of the district.   https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/31/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk.html

2.    Kashmiri children:; Jun 5, 2022:In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 910 children during the last 33 years. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, today (June 04), revealed that 910 children were among the 96,054 Kashmiris martyred by Indian troops from January 01, 1989 till date. The report said that the killing of civilians by the troops rendered 107,860 children orphaned in the territory during the period. The report said that thousands of people including school boys and girls were also injured by the pellets, bullets and teargas shells fired by Indian troops, police and paramilitary forces. It added that hundreds of persons including 19-month-old Hiba Jan, 8-year-old Shahid Fayaz, 9-year-old Owais Ahmed, 10-year-old Aasif Ahmed Sheikh, Insha Mushtaq (16), Aaqib Zahoor (16), Ulfat Hameed (17), Bilal Ahmad Butt (17), Tariq Ahmed Gojri (19) and Faizan Ashraf Tantray (19) had lost eyesight in their one or both eyes totally due to the pellet injuries. The report added that hundreds of boys as well as girls aged below 19 have been martyred during cordon and search operations and fake encounters, while a large number of boys under the age of 19 are facing illegal detentions under black laws in different jails of IIOJK and India. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Political Movement (DPM) in a statement in Srinagar said while the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is being observed around the world, today, a large number of minors are being abused and mistreated by Indian troops in IIOJK. It called upon the United Nations, human rights and child protection organizations to come forward and save the Kashmiri children from the Indian violence. Indian troops not only arrest innocent children but also use them as a weapon of war, it said. The world community must also play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute according to the United Nations resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, it added. On the other hand, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, in a statement in Muzaffarabad said Indian troops have orphaned over 107,690 children in the last three decades whose parents have been brutally martyred in fake encounters and in prisons. He said that violence, cruelties and brutalities against Kashmiri children had been a well-thought-out plan of the Indian government which was being carried out by the personnel of the Indian forces. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/04/children-worst-victims-of-indian-state-terrorism-in-iiojk-2.html

3.    Chinese Professor; June 05, 2022:   Another 10 innocent Kashmiri youths were brutally killed by the Indian occupation forces, which is clearly another evidence of state terrorism committed by the Indian authorities, Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said. Cheng Xizhong in a statement issued in Beijing said the Indian authorities have been using state terrorism to exercise bloody rule over Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and therefore, the international community should unanimously condemn it. Professor Cheng, who is also Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute, opined that nowadays the entire international community has expressed its opposition to terrorism in all its forms. This should include terrorist acts committed by various terrorist organizations, as well as the state form of terrorism. Moreover, according to the professor, “proxy war” carried out by the regional power using terrorist organizations should also be categorized as an act of terror. He further castigated India for not only implementing state terrorism, but also using terrorist organizations to carry out “proxy war”. India’s state terrorism has seriously violated the fundamental human rights of the Kashmiri people and seriously undermined regional peace and stability. The international community should attach great importance to it and take resolute measures to stop it, he added. The inhuman acts of terror in the IIOJK have exposed the extremist and terrorist face of Hindutva of the Narendra Modi regime and India will not succeed in suppressing Kashmiri struggle for the right to self-determination with such atrocious tactics. The just cause of the Kashmiri people will win the final victory, he firmly believes. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/06/05/killing-of-kashmiri-youth-another-evidence-of-indian-terrorism-prof-cheng.html

 

Weekly update 143 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   may 17, 2022 to , may  ,23 2022.   

1.     One martyred May 21 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today (May 21) The troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Tangdhar area of the district.   https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/20/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara.html

2.    Three martyred May 26 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today. The youth were martyred by troops during a violent cordon and search operation in Jumagund area of the district, https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/26/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iiojk-3.html

3.    Two martyred :May 28 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Pulwama district (May 27), raising the number of slain youth in the territory to five since yesterday. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Aganhanzipora in Awantipora area of the district. They are identified as Shahid Mushtaq Bhat and Farhan Habib. Earlier, the troops martyred three youth during a similar operation at Jumagund in Kupwara district, today.Three other youth were martyred by the troops in a violent military operation in Pattan area of Baramulla district, yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/27/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

4.    Two martyred; May 29 2022:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Islamabad district on Saturday. The troop martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Shattipora area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/28/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-4.html

5.    Rape condoned; May 30 2022: Justice continues to elude families of Shopian double rape and murder victims despite the passage of thirteen years. Aasiya and Nelofar were abducted, raped and subsequently killed by the men in uniform in Shopian and their bodies were found on 30th May, 2009, said a report released by the KMS, today. It said the Shopian double rape and murder is a chilling example of Indian troops’ brutalities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the incident is witness to institutionalized and structured violence that India is using in the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/29/13-years-on-justice-continues-to-elude-families-of-shopian-double-rape-and-murder-victims.html 

Weekly update 143 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   may 17, 2022 to , may  ,23 2022.   

1.     One martyred May 21 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today (May 21) The troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Tangdhar area of the district.   https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/20/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara.html 

Weekly update 142 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   may 10, 2022 to , may  ,16 2022.   

1.     Three martyred; may 11 2022; Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation in Kreeri Dooru area of Islamabad district, this evening. The operation continued till last reports came in. The occupation authorities have suspended internet service in the area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/10/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-kashmiri-youth.html

2.    One martyred: May 12 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, today(May 1), martyred one more Kashmiri youth in north Kashmir’s Bandipora. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Salinder forest area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/11/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

3.    Two martyred: May 14, 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, today (May 13). The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in the Brar Aragam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/13/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-bandipora-2.html 

Weekly update 141 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir   may 3, 2022 to , may  ,9 2022.   

1.     three martyred; May 7 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force personnel martyred the youth during a joint cordon and search operation in Pahalgam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/06/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

2.    Two martyred; may 9 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Kulgam district. The youth were martyred by Indian army’s Rashtriya Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Cheyan Devsar area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/05/08/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kulgam.html 

Weekly update 140 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Apr 26, 2022 to , may  ,2 2022.  

1.    Two martyred; Apr 29 2022;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Pulwama district. The troops martyred the youth including an engineering student, Aijaz Ahmed, during a cordon and search operation in Mitrigam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/28/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-3.html 

Weekly update 139 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Apr 19 , 2022 to , Apr  ,26 2022.

1.    Three martyred; Apr 22 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today. The youth were martyred by Indian army’s Rashtriya Rifles, paramilitary and Special Operation Group during a violent cordon and search operation (CASO) in Pariswani area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/21/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla.html

2.    Two martyred; Apr 24 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district on Saturday. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the Mirhama area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam-4.html

3.    Three martyred ; Apr 25 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more youth in Pulwama district, today(April 24) , raising the toll to 11 in the territory since Thursday. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Pahoo area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/24/indian-troops-martyr-3-more-youth-in-iiojk.html 

  

 

Weekly update 138 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Apr 12 , 2022 to , Apr  ,19 2022.

1.      Two martyred:  April 11 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two youth in Kulgam district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) at Iftari time in Khurbatpora area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/11/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk.html

2.    Challenges for press freedom in Kashmir;By Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ;April 13, 2022; “Kashmiri journalists are already working in a dangerous environment and under a climate of fear, given the various threats they face from multiple actors. This climate of fear has been exacerbated also by state surveillance, police questioning journalists about their reporting, and criminal and anti-terror cases that have been filed against journalists,” Committee to Protect Journalists. (Courtesy: Mint Lounge). Who does not know the historic date of December 10, 1948? It was on this day that the United Nations adopted one of its first major achievements, that is known as the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (UDHR). The Assembly proclaimed the Declaration: “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” Included in the Declaration is the ‘Freedom of Movement. The clear trend of modern history is towards greater individual freedoms. The guarantee to move freely throughout one country or in this global village is one of the greatest individual freedoms man has ever had. There are different levels of freedoms. But perhaps the purest expression of freedom is that of movement. This is exactly what the Berlin Wall exemplified. The Berlin Wall was not a defensive barrier nor an obstacle to keep enemies of Germany out, but it was a wall to keep ordinary citizens belonging to the same family away from each other. Fortunately, that Berlin Wall has crumbled. It does not exist anymore. But we still have many more Berlin Walls with different names like one known as Cease-fire Line in the occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir The European Community has realized the importance of freedom of movement and has passed legislative measures guaranteeing this very important right. These measures seek to abolish national discrimination by member states and to ensure that a citizen of any of the European Community can live and work without restrictions in the member state of his choice.  Europeans now pass and move freely country to country. Gone are the security check points and the border patrol guards. The Europeans have realized that freedom of movement is fundamental to all economic freedoms. It is difficult for people, like the people of the tormented land of Kashmir, to comprehend the real significance of declarations, such as that ours is a global village, where we must abide according to the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its principles. To them, these principles, and these slogans are never real. The reality is otherwise because people are arrested as along as their tormentors please and there is no recourse to legal defense. In such cases, the United Nations remains a silent observer, procrastinating on enforcing its will, especially so when the affected people are insulated from the civilized eye  How can I ask the people of Jammu & Kashmir to repose their trust in the principles of the United Nations; how can I ask them to believe in the Universal declaration of Human rights; and how can I make them believe in this right to ‘Freedom of Movement’, when they see that those who violate the will of the United Nations are not placed under the economic and political pressure that is specified by Article 13 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Covenant.  The United Nations Human Rights Council has to examine whether or not the behavior of a member state is in accordance with the pledge it made under Article 55 and 56 and is justified in “a democratic society.” When one examines the state’s actions in the light of the United Nations pronouncements, then many more questions arise as to its commitment to protecting the freedom of movement. The UN Human Rights Committee that was established by a 1966 human rights treaty, has expressed that states are liable under the Political Covenant for violations of a person’s rights recognized in that Covenant and committed by its agents in the territory of another state. The United Nations and its affiliated organizations have a stake in the substance of this right Freedom of Movement in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Since 1947, the people of this land have been unable to avail of their right to internal and transnational movement. Instead, they have suffered the pain of four displacements, expulsions, exiles and refusals to return. The Kashmiri refugees, overshadowed by international crisis, from Syria to Afghanistan to Myanmar to Ukraine, say the world has forgotten them. And, like refugees everywhere, they say one of their worst trials is uncertainty. In Indian occupied Kashmir, an ominous pattern of violations of the right to freedom of movement is taking place. As these are occurring in the course of an armed conflict in the exercise of the right to self-determination, international scrutiny is imperative. Violations of the right to freedom of movement by the Indian forces can be characterized as breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to breaches of international human rights law standards. Dr. Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR says, “There is a special guarantee of freedom of travel including the lawful entry and exit given in the UN Security Council Resolution of 21 April 1948. Travel of the local inhabitants and of many others to and from the Valley has come to a standstill. So much so that Indian administration has denied the request made by the officials of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the Valley Here are a few examples of violations of the right of freedom of movement occurring in Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir is one political and geographical entity divided artificially by a cease-fire line which has come into existence as a result of intervention by the United Nations. Movement of one and all is restricted when an entire locality is put under, what is locally known as a crackdown in Kashmir. Entire locality is besieged by the Indian army during cordon and search operations. When the entire male population of an area is detained at a particular place, in the open, sometimes in sub-zero temperatures, sometimes extreme heat, rain without food and water for the whole day which may even extend to parts of night. Frequent roadblock check and harassment, humiliation of civilians including medical and firefighting personnel trying to carry out their duties has greatly hampered movement of people in their own land. There have been many occasions where vehicles have been fired upon by the Indian army killing and injuring people while in travel. Movement to the hospitals too has got restricted as the Indian army has not and does not spare these institutions too. Passports are denied selectively. Some political leaders have not been given passports even to receive medical treatment outside India or simply to travel to other countries. We urge the UN Human Rights Council to apply the ECOSOC Resolution 1990/78 that was adopted on July 27, 1990 to the benefit of those who have been denied their right of freedom of movement, forced to take refuge elsewhere, displaced from their homes, exiled and expelled from their homelands, examples; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Mir of the United States, Nazir Ahmed of the United Kingdom, Dr. Mubeen Shah who is residing these days outside India and many others. We call upon the United Nations and all its agencies to provide a coordinated response in alleviating the conditions of these people without any delay. We also appeal to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, in the name of humanity and justice to help stop these atrocities and listen to cries of anguish and pain of the innocent people of Kashmir. If we fail to carry out this task, we shall not be living upto the Charter of the Human Rights Council which has been mandated to give ‘meaning to the sufferings of the human race.’

Weekly update 136 and 137 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Mar 29 , 2022 to , Apr  ,11 2022.

1.      Two martyred: April 06 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during  a massive cordon and search operation  in Arigam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/06/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-2.html

2.      Two martyred:  April 10 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar district on Sunday. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Beshembar Nagar area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/04/10/indian-troops-martyrs-one-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.html 

 

Weekly update  135 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Mar 22 , 2022 to , Mar  ,28 2022.

1.    Why I'm Crashing Screenings of "Kashmir Files" in California ;by Pieter Friedrich; Propaganda film's sole purpose is to incite anti-Muslim hatred and violence in India ; Mar 22 2022;“Kashmir Files” purports to tell the story of the 1990 Kashmiri Pandit Exodus. In 1990, as a separatist uprising began in Muslim-majority Kashmir, a Hindu community known as “Pandits” fled the region en masse. Many of them were killed at the time as well as over the next 10 to 15 years. The specifics of the persecution of Kashmiri Pandits demand attention and have already been faithfully recounted by various historians and journalists in both the past and the present. They certainly suffered. Perhaps a hundred thousand or more (out of a population of 140,000) fled the region. According to figures recently released by Kashmir Police, at least 89 were killed; at the high end, according to figures collected by a Kashmiri Pandit organization, up to 650 were killed between 1990 and 2011. As a notable aside, it’s questionable whether all of those Pandits who were targeted were killed for their religion or rather for political reasons due to the positions many held as government officials; while their murders, either way, are condemnable, the latter reason casts the affair in a far different light than the purely communal lens through which Agnihotri insists it must be viewed. Moreover, the tragic killings of Pandits by militant separatists should also be contextualized alongside the thousands of Kashmiri Muslims who were also killed by militants as well as the tens of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims a great many of them innocent civilians who were murdered by Indian security forces during their brutal suppression of the separatist movement. Regardless, the story of the Kashmiri Pandits deserves to be told (as does that of every persecuted community), but instead of telling it honestly, Agnihotri has seized on it as a political tool to spread anti-Muslim propaganda at a time when, 30 years after the fact, Pandits face no persecution whatsoever while Muslims throughout India  according to many, many sources  are at risk of an impending genocide at the hands of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and other affiliated elements. In Agnihotri’s mythologized telling, at least 4,000 Kashmiri Pandits were murdered. His film explicitly terms it a “genocide” and supportive viewers are widely comparing it to the systematic location, deportation, and elimination of six million Jews by the Nazis. Agnihotri portrays the exodus of the Pandits as an untold even deliberately covered up story which he alone had the courage to reveal. Some courage it took, too, considering that Indian Prime Minister Modi and many of his top cabinet members have openly endorsed it while most BJP states are not only allowing it be shown tax-free but giving state employees a paid half-day (and free tickets) to go view it. The general American public is clueless about the messaging behind “Kashmir Files,” but it’s not lost on audiences in India. Videos filmed at multiple different Indian cinemas show audiences, as the end credits scroll, rising to raise their own slogans. “India will be a Hindu nation,” shouts one crowd. “No Muslim will be allowed.” Another crowd shouts, “Long live BJP. When Muslims are slaughtered, then they will chant the name of Ram.” Yet another crowd cheers as a man declares: “If every Hindu boy under 25 starts marrying a Muslim girl, then their population will be less than half within three generations. Marry their women, make children with them.” Such a reaction is to be expected. After all, as Indian journalist Siddharth Bhatia notes, “The film is exploitative in the extreme, made to rouse emotions and build up a particular mood against Indian Muslims.” Countless others have reached the same conclusion. “At every possible opportunity, the filmmaker underscores the terrorists’ religion,” writes Indian film critic Tanul Thakur. “Another piece of dog-whistling: all Kashmiri Muslims are terrorists (this isn’t even an implication; the film is almost explicit about it, more than once) Given the blatant communal climate in the country for the last many years, these implications are unmistakable: that terrorists = Muslims or, more accurately, Muslims = terrorist.” “There isn’t a single Muslim character in the film who is empathetic,” says Indian screenwriter Darab Farooqui. “Every single Muslim character is either deceitful or evil…. It’s a propaganda piece that only shows one version of events. Yes, the events are bitter, unpleasant and ugly facts. They are, nevertheless, deceptive, dishonest and incomplete. The Kashmir Files serves a purpose, and the purpose is propaganda.” Indian journalist Naomi Barton warns that “Agnihotri has built a great canal of hatred,” explaining, “In broad strokes, the Muslims of The Kashmir Files are unequivocally shown as barbaric, or servile to a barbaric cause.” Barton adds, “The lie is that all Muslims must be collectively punished for this, and any violence visited upon them is justly deserved.” Indeed, the entire point of the film inescapably seems to be to convey the message that the killing of some Hindus in Kashmir by some Kashmiri Muslim separatists 30 years ago justifies, today, mass violence against Muslims throughout the entirety of India.That’s obvious from the bloodthirsty slogans of audiences in India. It’s also the message that one anonymous YouTuber took away from the film. In a viral video, a man wearing a saffron mask the color of the Hindu nationalist movement urges, “If you are a Hindu and want to avenge (the deaths) of Kashmiri pandits, if you know a Muslim, trouble them.” He demands the killing of Indian Muslims “everyone from the oldest to the youngest” and calls for the rape of their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, and others. “Trouble them so much that they cry, leave them tormented,” he says. “Create an atmosphere that forces them to leave the country. We won’t let them leave nor will we let them live in the country.” That’s the intent of the Hindu nationalist movement figure-headed by the RSS-BJP: to not let Muslims live in India or leave India. Ideologically, in their eyes, Muslims (as well as Christians) are “traitors” to the nation because, as they believe, only Hindus can truly be considered “Indian.” According to the RSS-BJP, these minority communities must therefore be purged from the country. Eliminated. Killed. This was the goal underlying the fascist oath taken by a genocidal conclave of Hindu nationalists held just a few months ago. “We all take an oath, give our word, and make a resolution that, until our last breath, we will make India a Hindu nation and keep it a Hindu only nation,” they pledged “We will fight, and die, and, if required, we will kill as well.” Simultaneously, in the city of Haridwar, Uttarakhand, another conclave was urged to take up weapons to wipe out Indian Muslims. Such events are one of many reasons that organizations like Genocide Watch, a US-based nonprofit, are incessantly warning about the looming risk of a genocide of Indian Muslims. “India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Islamophobia a state-manufactured ideology, increasingly putting the Muslim and Dalit [those formerly known as “Untouchables”] communities under state-sponsored attack,” says the group. As founder Dr. Gregory Stanton explains, “We believe there is a real risk of massacres. What is, of course, extremely troubling here is that the Modi government has stood back, said nothing, and will be very happy to just watch it happen. That is exactly what Modi did in Gujarat in 2002. It is what he will do again. So, this massacre this genocide will likely not be even carried out by the Indian State. It will likely be carried out by mobs.” “Kashmir Files” is pouring fuel on the Islamophobic fire as it incites theater-going audiences to form those violent mobs. As Stanton notes, massacres of Muslims by mobs in India have happened before under Modi. While Agnihotri exaggerates and sensationalizes a tragic event from 30 years to manipulate emotions and fan anti-Muslim hatred, Modi (who endorses “Kashmir Files”) presided over another atrocity of far greater proportions which came to a bloody close 20 years ago this month. Over a three-day period, from 27 February to 1 March 2002, mobs fielded and led by the RSS-BJP flooded the streets of Gujarat, India (at a time when Modi was Chief Minister of the state) to systematically slaughter approximately 2,000 Muslims. The massacre earned Modi the nickname, “The Butcher of Gujarat,” but it also served to massively popularize him within India’s Hindu nationalist movement. Today, with Modi helming the entire nation and with an administration marked by a wave of anti-Muslim attacks, lynchings, and smaller-scale pogroms there are very legitimate fears that the situation may soon turn into one of out-and-out genocide. Riefenstahl, as Bhatia explains, was “Hitler’s favorite director and a great propagandist of the Third Reich.” He notes: “In Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the BJP may have found its own Riefenstahl, even if he falls far short of her filmmaking standards.” While Agnihotri may be no Riefenstahl in terms of skill, his “Kashmir Files” certainly threatens to accomplish the same lethal ends. It must be opposed

2.    OIC on Kashmir ; MARCH 25, 2022; The resolutions and statements at the 48th Session of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers have upset India as the 57-member Muslim world body exposed it for massive human rights abuses in IIOJK and stigmatization of the Muslims. Hosted by Pakistan from March 22-23 and attended by 46 ministerial-level delegations and 800 delegates, the moot adopted 140 resolutions. Twenty resolutions were sponsored or co-sponsored by Pakistan. The Islamabad Declaration of the OCI-CFM has mentioned India 10 times condemning its human rights violations in IIOJK, seeking reversal of its unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, and also calling for the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. In their statements, the OIC Secretary-General, leaders from Saudi Arabia, Niger, Asian, Arab and African Groups and China expressed their strong support and solidarity on the Kashmir issue. The reports by OIC Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir, IPHRC and ASG for Humanitarian Affairs and endorsement of Pakistan’s position on legal, diplomatic, human rights, humanitarian and peace and security dimensions of the Jammu and Kashmir issue also featured the moot. “We renew unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and express full support for their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the OIC, and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” the Islamabad Declaration said.“We condemn massive violations of their human rights in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) We reiterate rejection of India’s illegal and unilateral actions since August 5, 2019 aimed at altering the demographic composition of the occupied territory, suppressing the realization of the inalienable right of self-determination of the Kashmiris,” the Islamabad Declaration said. The 57-member Muslim world body also expressed grave concern over the violation of Pakistan’s airspace, a threat to passenger aircraft, and dangers to peace and security in South Asia arising from the launch of a supersonic missile on 9 March 2022 by India. “We call on India to fully abide by international law and norms of responsible State behavior and conduct a joint probe with Pakistan to accurately establish facts.” Regarding the systematic and widespread policy of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims in India, the OIC-CFM denounced the “most pernicious attacks on the Muslim identity in India as manifest in the discriminatory laws and policies targeting the Hijab.” “We call upon India to immediately revoke such discriminatory laws, ensure the rights of the Indian Muslims and protect their religious freedoms.” https://dailytimes.com.pk/907187/india-goes-berserk-as-oic-exposes-it-for-iiojk-abuses/ 

Weekly update  134 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Mar 15 , 2022 to , Mar  ,21 2022.

1.    One martyred; mar 16 2022; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred, one more youth in Pulwama district, today raising the toll to 9 since Thursday. The youth was killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Charsoo area of Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-pulwama.html

2.    Three martyred; Mar 17 2022: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Nowgam area of Srinagar. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/16/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-srinagar.html

3.    Chattisinghpora ;March 20  2022;Twenty-two years have passed since the massacre of Chattisinghpora but no headway has been made in the case and the delay in justice has led to disillusionment among the members of Sikh community. Thirty-five members of Sikh community were killed in disguise by Indian troops in Chattisinghpora area of Islamabad district on March 20 in 2000 on the eve of the then US President, Bill Clinton’s visit to India, said a report released by Kashmir Media Service, today. It said that the Chattisingpora massacre was meant to give a bad name to Kashmiris’ freedom struggle and it was an attempt to equate Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination to terrorism. It is important to mention here that Indian troops had orchestrated the Chittisinghpora carnage and put the blame on the Kashmiri freedom-fighters to defame their freedom movement. The troops had killed five persons and burnt their bodies beyond recognition in Pathribal area of the district a few days later on March 25 claiming that the killed were involved in the Chittisinghpora incident. However, later the investigations proved that the slain persons were local civilians, who were picked up by the Indian Army from different areas and were killed in a fake encounter. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/20/no-headway-in-chattisinghpora-massacre-despite-passage-of-22-years.html 

Weekly update  132 and 133 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir  Mar 1 , 2022 to , Mar  ,14 2022.

1.     British lawmakers on Kashmir; Mar 9 2022; several British lawmakers have urged United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Mr Boris Johnson to speak about human rights violations including violation of women’s rights in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK) The British MPs joined a delegation of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK at 10 Downing Street to submit a petition and submitted it at PM’s Office. The petition, signed by British parliamentarians and the general public, includes reports prepared by various independent and non-governmental international organizations on the violence perpetrated by Indian occupying forces on Kashmiri women and urges Boris government to use its influence to halt Indian genocide of Kashmiris. British lawmakers including Afzal Khan, Liam Byrne, Imran Hussain, Paul Blomfield, Gill Furniss, Muhammad Yasin, Khalid Mehmood, Tahir Ali  and Yasmin Qureshi joined Kashmiri delegation led by Fahim Kayani, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, besides Rehana Ali, Sheni Hamid and Soraya Boyd and Raja Muhammad Azad. March 08 is observed as International Women’s Day every year and today members of Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK gathered outside Johnson’s office in London to urge the UK to raise the issue of India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir which has resulted in mass violation of women’s rights in IIoJK. British lawmakers called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to use his good offices and hold India accountable. https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/03/09/british-mps-urge-boris-johnson-to-speak-on-human-rights-violations-by-india-in-iiojk/

2.    Three martyred ; March 10 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama and Srinagar districts, today.The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation in Batpora Naina area of the district. Another youth was martyred by the troops during a similar operation in Hazratbal area of Srinagar. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4.html

3.    UN on Kashmir; March 11 2022: A United Nations human rights expert has said that the Indian government is tacitly allowing incitement to violence against Muslims in the country. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ahmad Shaheed, presented the report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on Thursday. In the report that documents the state-driven and tolerated hatred, discrimination and violence against minorities in India, he also denounced the wide-ranging Indian atrocities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A United Nations human rights expert has said that the Indian government is tacitly allowing incitement to violence against Muslims in the country. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ahmad Shaheed, presented the report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on Thursday. In the report that documents the state-driven and tolerated hatred, discrimination and violence against minorities in India, he also denounced the wide-ranging Indian atrocities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/11/un-experts-report-slams-indias-hr-abuses-in-iiojk.html

4.    Kashmiri women demand writ of instruments of human rights; Ghulam Nabi Fai Chairman World Forum for Peace & Justice Mar 12, 2022; The Vienna Declaration and Program of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, confirms the human rights of women as an ‘inalienable, integral and indivisible part of human rights.” The Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, both are an outcome of more than two decades of collective efforts of the international community. NGO’s and civil society at large, and their whole and sole objective was the empowerment of women. As per report of the various NGO’s and human rights agencies, hundreds of thousands of women have been the target of sexual crimes at the hands of the armed forces in Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Myanmar, Kashmir and elsewhere. These NGO’s have documented incidents of gang-rape of young girls and grand mothers alike. Sexual abuse sometimes in the presence of male family members is used as a weapon of war. Rape by armed forces is, indeed, a gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. The condemnation of rape during war and internal conflicts must be condemned by all including Human Rights Council to protect the rights of women in all circumstances. The report of the ‘Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women’ noted that rape, “is the destructive combination of power, anger and sex which incites sexual violence against women. The victims of rape suffer a disorder, anxiety, and the ‘Rape Trauma Syndrome’ which causes them to constantly relieve their rape through a series of flashbacks, dreams, nightmares and body memories.” The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR) issued its “Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir,” on July 8, 2019. The report contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. This is a significant step towards greater international recognition of the serious abuses committed against Kashmiris at the hands of Indian army. This report takes the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity. The 49-pages report cites specific incidents where the Indian Government violated the very principles of human decency and democratic freedom against the people of Kashmir. It is well documented that the bloody occupation has resulted in massive human rights violations, particularly targeting women and children. The sanctity of women has been violated, in a gruesome and unforgiving fashion. The UN report upholds that [In the 2013 report on her mission to India, the ‘Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women,’ its causes and consequences, said, “[W]omen living in militarized regions, such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states, live in a constant state of siege and surveillance, whether in their homes or in public. Information received through both written and oral testimonies highlighted the use of mass rape, allegedly by members of the State security forces, as well as acts of enforced disappearance, killings and acts of torture and ill-treatment, which were used to intimidate and to counteract political opposition and insurgency.” The United Nations report further illustrates that, “One significant case that illustrates the state’s failure to investigate and prosecute allegations of sexual violence and addressing impunity for sexual crimes in Kashmir is the Kunan-Poshpora mass rape, which took place 27 years ago and for which attempts to seek justice have been denied and blocked over the years by the authorities at different levels. According to survivors and a local administration official, on the night of 23 February 1991, soldiers from the 4 Rajputana Rifles regiment of the Indian Army gang-raped around 23 women of Kunan and Poshpora villages of Kupwara district. The Indian Army and Government of India have denied the allegations” The UN report further details that “Survivors and human rights groups have campaigned for an independent investigation into this case for many years. In October 2011, SHRC directed the state government to reopen and reinvestigate the case and to prosecute a senior official whom it accused of deliberately obstructing the investigation. On 18 July 2013, a court in Kupwara district ordered the state police to reinvestigate the case within three months. When no progress was made despite these orders, five survivors filed a petition in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in October 2013. In July 2014, the High Court reportedly said the 2011 SHRC recommendations were supported by evidence and asked the state government to consider paying monetary compensation within three months.” “Do You remember Kunan Poshpora” documentary evidence of five brave Kashmiri women scholars wrote these words on page 1, “This book is about one night in two villages in Kashmir. It is about a night that has refused to end for 24 long years, a night that holds stories of violations, injustice, oppression and falsehood, as well as acts of courage, bravery and truth. This book is about Kunan Poshpora.” Dr. Nazir Gilani, President JKCHR in a written statement submitted to the UN Secretary General during 58th session of HRC said, “The issues of Kashmiri women have multiplied ever since. The Kunan Poshpora rape case of 1991 and the issue of half-widows (women whose husbands are missing and cannot re-marry) have continued to remain unresolved.” Dr. Gilani added that “Women of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir have descended into a ravine of helplessness from 1990. JKCHR has highlighted the plight of Kashmiri women in its Statements released in the Council, in particular the Statement A/HRC/37/NGO/113 dated 13 February 2018 released at the 37th session.” How many Kashmiri women have to be dishonored before one concludes that a human rights violation has taken place? This is one of the questions that is on the minds of millions of Kashmiri women. Please remember that these women live under the stranglehold of a 900,000 strong army of occupation. These women are not oblivious to the world events. They know that in welcoming the appointment of a ‘Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women,’ the Vienna Declaration declared that “the human rights of women are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of the universal human rights.” They wonder what action was taken by this Rapporteur, whose mandate included action on “state-sponsored violence against women.” They waited with hope because the same document had asked the United Nations human rights body to “strengthen mechanisms or accountability to ensure that governments take steps to end discrimination and punish perpetrators of violence against them.” (Reference UN documents: E/CN/4/1995/NGO/28, and /5). These violated Kashmiri women ask: what action has been taken to enforce the writ of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women? The suggestion made by Dr. Nazir Gilani is very pertinent when he said, “It is high time that Human Rights Council addresses the question of sexual violence committed against Kashmiri women as detailed in Paras 125 to 133 of OHCHR Report of 14 June 2018. The Kunan-Poshpora mass rape victims have not received any justice for the past 30 years. Many of the victims have died while waiting for justice.”

5.    Four martyred; Mar 12 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama, Ganderbal and Kupwara districts. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation at Chewa Kalan in Pulwama district, late last night. The troops martyred one youth each at Nunar in Ganderbal district and at Rajwar in Handwara area Kupwara district. The operations in these areas continued till last reports came in. A civilian was injured in the firing of the troops while a youth was arrested in Chewa Kalan. These fresh killings raised the number of martyred youth in IIOJK to seven in the last three days. The troops had martyred two youth in Pulwama and one in Srinagar districts on Thursday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/12/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

6.    One martyred; March 13 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today, taking the number of the slain youth in the territory to eight since Thursday.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Niochama area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/03/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-kupwara.html  

Weekly update  131 - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Feb, 22, 2022 to Feb, 28, 2022.

1.     Rape in Indian Occupied Kashmir; Feb 24 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, justice continues to elude the victims of Kunanposhpora mass rape despite the passing of over three decades. Indian troops gang-raped around 100 Kashmiri women of all ages from eight year-old girls to eighty years old women during a cordon and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of February 23, 1991. Thirty one years have passed since the Kunanposhpora mass rape occurred but the victims are still awaiting justice while the troops involved in heinous crime are roaming free, said a report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, on the completion of thirty one years to the tragic incident.   https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/23/31-years-on-justice-continues-to-elude-victims-of-kunanposhpora-mass-rape.html 

Weekly update -129 and 130  - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Feb, 8, 2022 to Feb, 22, 2022.

1.     Dr Fai on Kashmir; Feb 18 2022; The Chairman of Washington-based World Forum for Peace and Justice (WFPJ), Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, has said that justice is not a vocation for the weak-hearted, whether in Palestine, Myanmar, Kashmir or elsewhere. Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai addressing an international conference, “Human Rights Violations Faced by the Muslims,” in Istanbul, Turkey, said it is a historical fact that the Kashmir question is one of the oldest unresolved international problems in the world. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Government of Turkey in cooperation with Independent Permanent Commission of Human Rights (IPCHR) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and was addressed among others by Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey; Professor (Dr) Mustafa Sentop, Speaker, Grand Assembly of Turkey; Yakup Mogul, Deputy Minister of Justice, Turkey; Daniel Holtgen, Spokesperson for the Secretary General of Council of Europe; and many others. The other panelists of the session in which Dr Fai participated included: Ambassador Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; El Habib Bourane, Director, Muslim Communities and Minorities, OIC; Dr Reza Uddin, Council member, Arakan Rohingya Union; Ambassador Zamir Akram, Former Pakistan’s Representative to the UN in Geneva; Dr Hassan A. Abdein, Associate Editor, Muslim Minorities, Oxford, UK. The theme of this session was, “The Situation of Muslims in Asia.” Dr Fai said it is worth mentioning that when the Kashmir dispute erupted in 1947-1948, the United States championed the stand that the future status of Kashmir must be ascertained in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of the territory. The United States was the principal sponsor of the resolution # 47 which was adopted by the Security Council on 21 April 1948, and which was based on that unchallenged principle, he added. Dr Fai cited the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir issued on June 14, 2018 which contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This was a significant step towards greater international recognition of the serious abuses committed against the Kashmiris by the Indian army. This report takes the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity, he maintained. The report, Dr Fai said, cites specific incidents where the Indian government violated the very principles of human decency and democratic freedom against the people of Kashmir. It also details many instances where the use of draconian laws has given a sense of total impunity to the Indian Army in Kashmir. The report, he said, underscored that “Impunity for enforced or involuntary disappearances in Kashmir continues as there has been little movement towards credibly investigating complaints including into alleged sites of mass graves in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region.” The United Nations report suggested that [As a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits torture under any circumstances (Article 7), India is obliged to ensure that no person is “subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. There have long been persistent claims of torture by security forces in Kashmir.] The UN report qoutes ‘the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences,’ who said, “[W]omen living in militarized regions, such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states, live in a constant state of siege and surveillance, whether in their homes or in public.” Since, August 05, 2019, the Indian government, in order to crush any resistance to its illegal occupation, has instituted new draconian measures. In a ruthless campaign they imprisoned politicians, journalists, and civil society members, to intimidate and suppress any form of dissent. The enactment of Domicile Law was designed to change the demography of Kashmir. It is reported that over 4 million Domicile certificates have been issued to grant non-Kashmiris right to buy land and compete for local jobs which is a clear violation of International Law since it unilaterally changes the United Nations-recognized status of Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Fai added that the latest actions taken by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) are politically motivated and are part of the Indian government’s attempt to censor peaceful Kashmiri voices. The Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been used countless times to harass, assault and imprison activists, political leaders and journalists who aim to expose the human rights violations committed by Indian forces. Latest victim is Khurram Parvez, one of the internationally known human rights activists, who was detained under UAPA. Ms Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders said on November 23, 2021, that ‘he (Khurram Parvez) is not a terrorist, he is a human rights defender’. De Fai made the following suggestions to the IPHRC: Given the reports, issued by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights on June 14, 2018 and July 8, 2019, regarding the ‘Situation in Kashmir’, we would like to request the OIC members of the Human Rights Council to endorse this report and initiate a joint OIC resolution to set up an enquiry commission on human rights violations in Kashmir during the forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to be held between February 28 to April 01, 2022. Widely use and disseminate testimony of Dr Gregory Stanton, Chairman, ‘Genocide Watch’, which he gave to the United States Congress on January 12, 2022, and repeated in his January 19, 2022, TV interview with Karan Thapar, that ‘in India, there are the makings of a genocide against Muslims, starting with Kashmir & Assam’. Based on this authoritative evidence, we suggest to OIC ‘The Gambia Model’, taking Myanmar to the ICJ (international Court of Justice) for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya, to be followed for IIOJK as well. OIC should invoke the ‘Genocide Convention’ in the UN General Assembly and / or Security Council. The OIC must provide ‘safe havens’ for the Kashmiri Diaspora, especially those fleeing oppression in occupied Kashmir – students, scholars, activists, journalists, and business people – in OIC member states, in an institutional manner, like opening up visas / jobs / scholarships for meritorious students, relocation facilitation for such skilled and professional Kashmiris, for whom living in Modi’s India has become unbearable. In the ‘battle of ideas’ for Azadi (freedom) of Kashmiri people, the OIC must promote the 3 core causes together: PKR (Palestine, Kashmir, Rohingya); establish a special website, combining genocide with resistance. This has to be a sustained and coordinated initiative, where people of conscience, both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, intellectuals and diplomats can play a role through various channels, including Parliamentary Diplomacy. OIC should set up an ‘independent’ criminal court to hear cases of specific crimes against civilian population in IIOJK. OIC should organize a ‘digital referendum’ in occupied Kashmir eliciting wishes of the Kashmiri people (even if only a section of the population participates); and ask the UN General Assembly and / or Security Council to allow a representative of the Kashmiri people (selected through ‘digital referendum’) to present the case of Kashmir to the world community. OIC should commission to study the danger of a nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India due to the unresolved Kashmir dispute. OIC should establish a ‘Global Kashmir Assembly’ composed of Kashmiri diaspora leaders from across the world. It could operate virtually; lobby with host countries on agreed group positions / demands. OIC must persuade the Government of India to release all political prisoners unconditionally, including Khurram Parvez, Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, and others. OIC must convince the United Nations to persuade Government of India to rescind the Domicile Law which is designed to change the demography of Kashmir. Finally, it is further our hope that the policy makers of OIC member countries will look to solving the root cause of the problem of Kashmir – the unfulfilled promise of self-determination as guaranteed by successive United Nations Security Council resolutions. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/17/justice-not-a-vocation-for-weak-hearted-whether-in-kashmir-or-elsewhere-dr-fai.html

2.    One martyred; Feb 19 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Chermarg Zainapora area of the district.  Earlier, two Indian soldiers were killed in an attack in the same area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/19/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-2.html

 

Weekly update -128; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Feb, 2, 2022 to Feb, 7, 2022.

1.     January human cost; Feb 2 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 22 Kashmiris including a teenage boy during the last month of January. Of those killed, four youth were martyred in a fake encounter, according to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today. During the month, 17 youth were critically injured due to use of brute force by Indian police and paramilitary troops on peaceful demonstrators. During the period, Indian Army, paramilitary Central Reserve Police force and police arrested 45 civilians, mostly political activists, youth and students, and several of them were booked under black laws including Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Public Safety Act. The forces’ personnel misbehaved and molested with, at least, one female and destroyed and damaged 7 houses and structures during the operations in the month. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/01/indian-troops-martyr-22-kashmiris-in-january.html

2.    One martyred; Feb 02 2022:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in  Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Nadigam area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/02/93655.html

3.    Two martyred: Feb 6 2022;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today.The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Zakura area of Srinagar. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/02/05/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiris-in-srinagar.html 

Weekly update -127; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan, 25, 2022 to Jan, 31, 2022.

1.     Five martyred; Jan 31 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred five Kashmiri youth in Pulwama and Budgam districts. The troops martyred four youth during a cordon and search operation in the Naira area of Pulwama district and martyred one youth during an operation in Charar-i-Sharief area of Budgam. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/30/indian-troops-martyr-five-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk.html 

Weekly update -126; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan, 1, 2022 to Jan, 24, 2022.

1.     War crimes in Indian-occupied Kashmir ; Jan 20 2022; A London-based law firm filed an application with British police on Tuesday seeking the arrest of India’s army chief and a senior Indian government official over their alleged roles in war crimes in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK). Law firm Stoke White said it submitted extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian forces headed by Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah were responsible for the torture, kidnapping and killing of activists, journalists and civilians. The law firm’s report was based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021. It also accused eight unnamed senior Indian military officials of direct involvement in war crimes and torture in IoK.  “There is strong reason to believe that Indian authorities are conducting war crimes and other violence against civilians in Jammu and Kashmir,” the report states, referring to territory that is part of the Himalayan region. The request to London police was made under the principle of “universal jurisdiction” which gives countries the authority to prosecute individuals accused of crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. The international law firm in London said it believes its application is the first time that legal action has been taken abroad against Indian authorities over alleged war crimes in IoK. Hakan Camuz, director of international law at Stoke White, said he hoped the report would convince British police to open an investigation and ultimately arrest the officials when they set foot in the UK. Some of the Indian officials have financial assets and other links to Britain. “We are asking the UK government to do their duty and investigate and arrest them for what they did based on the evidence we supplied to them. We want them to be held accountable,” Camuz said. The police application was made on behalf of the family of Zia Mustafa, a jailed Pakistani freedom fighter whom Camuz said was the victim of an extrajudicial killing by Indian authorities in 2021, and on the behalf of human rights campaigner Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, who was allegedly tortured before his arrest last week. The law firm’s investigation suggested that the abuse has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Its report also included details about the arrest of Khurram Parvez, the region’s most prominent rights activist, by India’s counterterrorism authorities last year. Parvez, 42, worked for the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, which has written extensive reports about Indian troops’ use of violence and torture. Other accounts in the report discuss journalist Sajad Gul, who was arrested earlier this month after he posted a video of family members and relatives protesting the killing of a freedom commander. Human rights lawyers have increasingly used the universal jurisdiction principle to seek justice for people who were unable to file criminal complaints in their home countries or with the International Criminal Court, located in The Hague.  Camuz said he hoped the request to British police seeking the arrest of Indian officials will be followed by other legal actions also focusing on IoK. “We are sure this is not going to be the last one, there will probably be many more applications,” he said. https://www.dawn.com/news/1670335/uk-police-asked-to-probe-indian-officials-alleged-war-crimes-in-occupied-kashmir

2.    Stoke White Investigations; India's War Crimes in Kashmir: Violence, Dissent and the War on Terror; Jan 20 2022; A selection of new and detailed evidence gathered from over 2000 testimonies offered by civilians forms the basis of our report into human rights abuses by India in Jammu and Kashmir, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and the detention of minors.  Although the violence inflicted on Kashmiri Muslims by the Indian army has been well documented, this report provides new evidence-based insights into the extent of the abuse based on 2000 testimonies gathered over one year. The report forms the basis of an appeal to the UK Metropolitan Police unit for the arrest of perpetrators of violence against civilians in this context.  Within the framework of the Global War on Terror and counterterrorism, acts of abuse are directed against those Muslims dissenting against Indian occupation by conducting legitimate protest, seeking legal recourse through the law, and embarking on peaceful civil society advocacy.  These individuals, and those who are uninvolved in any of the above activities but who have been swept up as innocent bystanders, feature as the subjects of this report. Of particular concern is the kidnapping at age 15 of Zia Mustapha and his 18-year detention without charge that culminated in his extrajudicial killing, as well as the torture of human rights defender Mohammed Ahsan Untoo. This report also provides unique evidence of the presence of Israeli intelligence operatives during interrogations and torture of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. Indeed, the culture of impunity in the region has been enabled by a global environment in which torture has become acceptable under Western complicity. Nearly three decades have passed and not a single member of the Indian military has been prosecuted, despite growing evidence of unlawful conduct. It is hoped this documentation will start a process of accountability and justice for survivors, through a more appropriate and rigorous implementation of international human rights law. https://www.swiunit.com/post/india-s-war-crimes-in-kashmir-violence-dissent-and-the-war-on-terror

3.    Zia Mustafa’s extra-judicial killing ; Jan 22 2022; The Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) has launched a comprehensive dossier on Zia Mustafa’s extra-judicial execution in a staged encounter at Poonch in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to the dossier, 15-year-old Zia from Rawalakot in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) inadvertently crossed the Line of Control (LoC) on January 13, 2003, and was arrested by Indian occupying forces. The family members of Zia lodged a missing report before the relevant police station. The army and IIOJK police, led by the then Director General of Police A K Suri, gave a joint press conference to the Indian media on April 11, 2003, projecting and presenting Zia as a "foreign militant", allegedly involved in the so-called terror incident. However, the dossier reported that Zia was a minor when he crossed the border unknowingly and later, was falsely implicated in militancy by the Indian forces and agencies. The report further stated that the trial court in Shopian in IIOJK framed charges against Zia under Sections 302, 120b, 450, 395, of IPC; 7/27 PACT; 2/3 IMCO. However, the state out of prosecution witnesses failed to produce a single piece of evidence against Zia. Accordingly, the court closed the prosecution evidence. The state of IIOJK filed a criminal appeal before the occupied region's high court, which was meritless and accordingly dismissed by the court. The state again approached the Supreme Court of India and filed a criminal appeal 39899/2018 with the condonation of delay application which was still pending. Zia’s lawyer Mubashir Gattoo, while talking to local media, said that there was no evidence for his conviction. The dossier highlighted the extra-judicial execution of an under trial who was in judicial custody when the joint counter-insurgent group including the Indian army without following the mandate of law took Zia outside the jail and killed him in a staged encounter.  The dossier also revealed the important documents showing Zia, a minor boy, at the date of his arrest. Moreover, the prisoners' list exchanged by the foreign offices listed Zia as an undertrial prisoner. It highlighted the 111 fake encounters and the alleged perpetrators involved in these war crimes. The LFK held a roundtable debate inviting law experts and key stakeholders on the ‘universal jurisdiction’ case submitted before the metropolitan war crime unit in the United Kingdom. Hakan Camuz said that he hoped that the request to British police seeking the arrest of Indian officials would be followed by other legal actions also focusing on Kashmir. He added that Stoke White was sure that it was not going to be the last one, there would probably be many more applications. Towards the end, Executive Director Nasir Qadri said, "This is the beginning of lawfare against the occupier and his organisation would further pursue the war crime cases to different available forums so that the perpetrators involved were apprehended for their crimes." https://tribune.com.pk/story/2339777/lawsuit-filed-against-modi-others-in-uk-for-kashmiris-extra-judicial-killing

4.    Two martyred; Jan 23 2022;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, today Jan 2 2022). The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in the Kilbal area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/22/indian-troops-launch-caso-in-shopian-5.html 

 

Human rights Kashmir media ServiceWeekly update -125; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan, 11, 2022 to Jan, 17, 2022.

1.     One martyred; Jan 13 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth and injured many civilians in Kulgam district. The killing and injuries took place when Indian Army soldiers along with personnel of and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operation Group during a cordon and search operation in Pariwan area of the district, late night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-kulgam.html

 

Weekly update -124; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Jan, 4, 2022 to Jan, 10, 2022.

1.     Two martyred; Jan 03 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth were martyred by the Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Shalimar area of the city. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/03/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-srinagar.html

2.    Two martyred; Jan 04 2022: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today.The youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Police in Okey area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/04/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-kulgam.html

3.    Three martyred; Jan 8 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Badgam district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Chadoora area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/07/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-budgam.html 

 

Weekly update -123; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec, 28, 2021 to Jan, 3, 2022  .

1.     Three martyred; Dec 30 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation jointly launched by Indian army, police and Central Reserve Police Force in Mirhama area of the district. Meanwhile, two Indian army soldiers and a policeman were also injured in an attack in the same area. The attack was carried out on the joint team of Indian Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force, which was engaged in the cordon and search operation. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/29/indian-policeman-injured-in-attack-in-iiojk-2.html

2.    Three martyred Dec 31 2021 ; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today (Dec 30 2021), raising the number of slain youth to six since last night. The troops martyred the three youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Veerinag area of the district. Earlier, one Indian policeman was killed and two soldiers and a policeman were injured in an attack in the same area.The troops martyred three other youth during a similar operation in Mirhama area of Kulgam district, last night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/30/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-iiojk-toll-rises-to-6-since-yesterday.html

3.    World attention must be focused on Kashmir ;Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ;Dec 29, 2021; Former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has said, “On Human Rights Day, I call on States to fulfill the promises they made at the Vienna Conference.” We all know that the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in June 1993, was a landmark event. It was stated that the Vienna Declaration was ‘reflective of the spirit of our age and the realities of our times’. The Vienna Declaration called upon the states to abrogate legislation leading to impunity for those responsible for grave violations of human rights and to prosecute the violators, thereby providing a firm basis for rule of law. The United Nations supports an array of human rights institutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many human rights treaties that have been adopted. These institutions and officials collectively testify to the blossoming of human rights on the international agenda in the past 73 years since promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. They also underscore the Charter obligation on all nations to promote and protect human rights, which includes an obligation to consider human rights implications in all bilateral and multilateral negotiations. The basic human rights provisions of the Geneva conventions including the ones protected under common article 3 of these conventions are also non derogable in the sense that they must be respected even in times of international and non-international conflicts, international disturbances and foreign occupation. The candor and fair-mindedness support the conclusion that the United Nations has been painfully ineffective measured by the yardsticks of international peace, human rights, and self-determination. The presence of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ and other human rights instruments offers no consolence for the people of Kashmir because its framers have not lived up to its spirit, at least applying it selectively to suit the objectives of certain powers. The people of Kashmir are simply perplexed as to how to interpret such joi de vivre. Over seventy-three have lapsed since the adoption of this Declaration but the people of Kashmir have not seen an iota of change in the human rights situation in Kashmir. For worse may be but never for the better. Such documents are meaningless for the people of Kashmir or for any other people who do not see their application, or even a negative mention to those who ride rough shod over them with total impunity while enjoying the good graces of some of the members of the world community to aspire to a high moral station above others. The people of Kashmir can hardly believe that august bodies such as the United Nations recognize that the preservation of international peace and the realization of human rights are shared and common concerns of humankind. As an example, the draconian laws continue to remain in operation in Kashmir, with full impunity to the perpetrators of crime against the humanity and violations of fundamental human rights, threatening the very existence of Kashmiri people. The appeals from the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression; Freedom of Religion; Torture and Extra-judicial execution; the Amnesty International and other international NGOs have failed to make India to withdraw these laws. Dr. Nazir Gilani in his letter to UN Secretary General wrote, “Indian allegation that the OHCHR June 2018 report was ‘false and motivated’ and further accusation that the Special Rapporteurs had ‘individual prejudices’ against India, would not help the member nation of UN to undo the massive evidence brought against its human rights record in Indian administered Kashmir.” If international law were applied evenhandedly in Kashmir, an international war crimes tribunal would have been established years ago to try the scores of Indian civilian and military leaders guilty of crimes against humanity and aggression. What Slobodan Milosevich did in Kosovo and Bosnia pales in comparison to what Indian civilian and military grandees have done in Kashmir for 73 successive years, something resembling genocide on the installment plan.  That is why adding teeth to human rights is urgent. On that count, the news is auspicious. The United Nations should officially declare that under international law and human rights covenants, every government official is vulnerable to criminal prosecution in every nation in the world for either direct or indirect complicity in human rights violations that shock the international conscience as determined by the World Court. Every alleged victim of a human rights violation or his or her relatives should be entitled to sue the alleged official culprits in the World Court to determine whether the shock the conscience test has been satisfied.  Its verdict would be binding on all countries.  Any nation that refused either to prosecute or to assist in the prosecution of the human rights violators would be expelled from the United Nations General Assembly, and its leaders could be held in contempt of court by the World Court.  Kashmir is not beyond a solution if all involved parties make concessions: Pakistan, India, and Kashmiris.  The next step is not to craft a solution, but to set the stage for crafting a solution.  Key to that objective is an appointment of a person of international standing by the United Nations. The grave situation in Kashmir demands that it could be brought to the attention of the Security Council. Whether this could be done successfully depends on the attitude and policies of the permanent members, but they should be left in no doubt that any failure to resolve the problem could lead to serious disorders throughout the South Asian Subcontinent and possibly to yet another war between India and Pakistan, with incalculable consequences for the whole world, since both states are now nuclear powers.  The question arises what should be the point of departure for determining a just and lasting basis? The answer obviously is (a) the Charter of the United Nations which, in its very first Article, speaks of ‘respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples’ and (b) the international agreements between the parties to the dispute at the Security Council. If the peaceful settlement to Kashmir crisis is to be reached, and if India is to stop dealing with the crises through sheer brutality and terror, world attention must be focused on Kashmir. Today, in this hour of darkness, in this hour of trial, in this hour of total isolation and entrapment, the people of Kashmir are being mangled and decimated, their land is being scorched. Everyday scores of people of dying, with them are dying the hopes of an entire generation and entire civilization.

4.    Three martyred; Jan 1 2022; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar city, today (Dec 29, 2021), raising the number of martyred youth in the territory to nine in 48 hours.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Panthachowk area of the city.. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/31/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-srinagar-toll-rises-to-9-in-48-hours.html

 

5.    One martyred;  Jan 01 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today. The fresh killing raised the number of the martyred youth to 10 since Wednesday night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2022/01/01/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iiojk.html 

Weekly update -122; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec, 21, 2021 to Dec, 27, 2021  .

1.     Russell Tribunal; Dec 20 2021: The Russell Tribunal on Kashmir has held that based on the evidence presented by area experts, the Kashmir issue should arguably be seen within a broader global context of settler colonialism, genocide, and crimes against humanity.,The judges at the Tribunal in their initial statement said, “We the judges are present here today to submit our initial statement regarding the proceedings of the inaugural Russell Tribunal on Kashmir. A final, more thoroughgoing statement will be issued subsequently.”“Based on the evidence presented by area experts, the Kashmir issue should arguably be seen within a broader global context of settler colonialism, genocide, and crimes against humanity,” the statement said and added that serious accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity, rape as a weapon of war, unlawful arrests and mass blinding have been made.This is just the beginning of arduous and judicious process to uncover truth, but the live testimony we have heard thus far, and the reports and evidence we have seen, have left us with serious concerns about crimes, which appear to have been carried out on a massive scale.The remaining part of the statement goes as: “At this time, we would like to share some basic facts and accusations:FACT: Kashmir is disputed territory, a fact established by 18 United Nations resolutions. It cannot be claimed legitimately by any country or claimed as an integral part until the time that the people of Kashmir have been granted the right to freely, and without fear, express their opinion in the referendum that they were promised and that the UN continues to urge. To date, that has not happened;FACT: Following from the above, Kashmir is not a secessionist movement. In fact, we heard convincing evidence that the people of Kashmir have been involved in a long struggle of freedom from foreign rulers; FACT: Kashmir is among the most heavily militarized areas on the planet, with upwards of 700,000 to 900,000 Indian soldiers, paramilitary forces, and private security forces present; FACT: Significant evidence of atrocities is contained in the first report ever issued by the United Nations on human rights in Kashmir. The report was released on 14 June 2018 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and released under ZeidRa’ad Al Hussein; FACT: Significant evidence of crimes is also contained in the second report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued on 8 July 2019 under UN human rights head Michelle Bachelet. The report is titled, “Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Indian-Administered Kashmir and Pakistan-Administered Kashmir from May 2018 to April 2019; FACT: We heard evidence of genocide, in particular in Jammu in 1947 and 1948, during which time the Indian government and Dogra regime claimed to be directly responsible. Events during this time need to be carefully recognized and studied. The accusations are grave and warrant deeper investigation; FACT: We have heard evidence from two genocide alerts given by Genocide Watch, an NGO led by Professor Gregory Stanton. Finally, in conclusion, based on the statements, oral testimonies and reports we heard on 17 and 18 December, we find serious indications of constant restrictions on freedoms and gross human rights violations, including mass crimes, mass rapes and other crimes against humanity. From the allegations we have heard, these crimes seem to meet the definition of genocide. This is only the beginning of a long process. Given the seriousness and gravity of these incriminations, it is important that international institutions and human rights tribunals urgently open cases and examine these allegations and prosecute those responsible for violations. The reports we have heard suggest that the government of India, the Indian Army and the Indian Intelligence Service are responsible. This requires further investigation. We invite the world public to visit Kashmir and report on the state of freedoms and human rights. We are continuing to closely monitor the situation in hopes of holding criminals to account. We also call upon the United Nations to properly oversee the decolonialization process in Kashmir. Just as the United Nations intervened and found that Britain had not properly completed the decolonialization process in Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s, it could offer a similar intervention vis-à-vis Kashmir. This is the United Nations’ responsibility. As such, we call upon the United Nations General Assembly to request an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice to characterize the Kashmir situation as an uncompleted decolonialization process and to recognize the legal force of the Security Council’s resolution calling for a plebiscite of the people of Kashmir in order that they may determine their future.” It is worth mentioning here that Kashmir Civitas, a Canadian-registered NGO, had partnered with the Russell Foundation in London, UK, the Permanent People’s Tribunal of Bologna, Italy, the International University of Sarajevo and the Center for Advanced Studies in Sarajevo to hold the inaugural Russell Tribunal on Kashmir in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on December 17-19. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/20/russell-tribunal-calls-on-un-to-oversee-decolonialization-process-in-kashmir.html

2.     UK House of Commons on Kashmir; Dec 23 2021; Britain's House of Commons on Wednesday expressed alarm at human rights violations, including fake encounters by Indian forces, in Indian-occupied Kashmir and sought a response from the Indian High Commission over the maltreatment of Kashmiri citizens. As many as 28 MPs of the British Parliament have written a joint letter to the Indian High Commission, seeking its response to reports of flagrant abuses of human rights in the occupied territory. The letter questioned the killings of "innocent Kashmiris" at the hands of Indian forces who labelled the unarmed citizens as suspected terrorists before mowing them down. "Those who are killed are mostly normal citizens," the letter says. The lawmakers also expressed shock at the incarceration of prominent rights activist Khurram Pervez by Indian forces and sought an explanation for his detention. "Khurram Pervez is not a terrorist but a defender of human rights".  The MPs also pointed out that more than 2,500 innocent people had been detained in the last two years in the occupied territory. Hundreds of people have been arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) — a vaguely worded law that effectively allows people to be held without trial indefinitely — in the Indian-occupied territory since 2019, when New Delhi cancelled the region’s partial autonomy and brought it under direct rule. Almost half of them are still in prison and convictions under the law are very rare.  https://www.dawn.com/news/1665225/british-parliament-expresses-alarm-at-human-rights-abuses-fake-encounters-in-indian-occupied-kashmir

 

3.    One martyred; Dec 25 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Arwani area of the district. The troops blocked all entry and exit points of Arwani, subjecting the local residents to huge inconvenience. The occupation authorities suspended the internet and mobile services in the area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/24/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-islamabad.html

4.        Four martyred; Dec 25 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more youth in south Kashmir. A joint team of Indian army, Central Reserve Police Force and police martyred two youth in Chowgam area of Shopian and two in Hardumir, Tral area of Pulwama during cordon and search operations. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-shopian.html

 

5.    Rape ; December 26 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the wheels of justice have completely collapsed one of the convicts in the 2018 Kathua rape case was granted bail by a court in Indian Punjab. The eight-year-old girl, Aasifa, was raped and murdered in Hiranagar area of the Hindu-dominated Kathua district in January 2018 and the verdict in the case was pronounced on June 10, 2019, by a court in Pathankot, Punjab, where the case was shifted on the directives of the Indian Supreme Court. The Punjab and Haryana High Court suspended the remaining sentence and jail term of dismissed police sub-inspector, Anand Dutta and ordered that he be released upon furnishing surety bonds. “Perturbed that the policeman convicted for destroying evidence in Kathua rape case was granted bail and his jail term suspended. When a child raped and bludgeoned to death is deprived of justice, it becomes obvious that the wheels of justice have completely collapsed,” she tweeted. Anand Dutta has already undergone more than half of the sentence awarded to him, while the sentence of co-accused Tilak Raj was also suspended on December 16 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/26/bail-to-convict-in-kathua-rape-murder-case-perturbs-mehbooba.html

 

Weekly update -121; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec, 14, 2021 to Dec, 21, 2021  .

1.     Two martyred; Dec 13 2021 : In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian forces in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar district.The youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Rangret area of the district, today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/13/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.html

2.    One martyred; Dec 15 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today morning https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-3.html

3.    Mosque closed; Dec 17 2021;  Jamia Masjid, the grand mosque of Srinagar, dominates its neighborhood with an imposing main gate and massive turrets. It can hold 33,000 worshippers, and on special occasions over the years hundreds of thousands of Muslims have filled nearby lanes and roads to offer prayers led from the mosque. In this bitter dispute, the mosque in Kashmir's main city has largely remained closed for the past two years. The mosque's chief priest has been detained in his home almost nonstop throughout that time, and the mosque's main gate is padlocked and blocked with corrugated tin sheets on Friday  Many Kashmiri Muslims have long said New Delhi curbs their religious freedom on the pretext of law and order while promoting and patronizing the annual Hindu pilgrimage to an icy Himalayan cave visited by hundreds of thousands of Hindus from across  Authorities often clamped down, banning prayers at the mosque for extended periods. According to official data, the mosque was closed for at least 250 days in 2008, 2010 and 2016 combined.India.https://www.npr.org/2021/12/16/1064743864/in-kashmir-closed-mosque-raises-questions-about-indias-religious-freedom

4.    Two martyred;  Dec 16  2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/16/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam-2.html

5.    One martyred; Dec 19 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian forces in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one youth in Srinagar district, today. . The eyewitness in the area said that the youth was killed in a fake encounter during a cordon and search operation and there was no encounter in the area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-srinagar.html 

Weekly update -120; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Dec, 7, 2021 to Dec, 14, 2021  .

1.     AFSPA ; Dec 7 2021; On Saturday, December 4, Indian Army personnel shot and killed what is now a toll of 15 civilians in Nagaland  The Union government, in agreement with states, uses a controversial legislation to deploy armed forces in “disturbed areas” of the country to “support” state governments. This legislation, called the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), has a dark history. Among the many provisions that are cause for human rights concerns, AFSPA has provisions that allow for rare circumstances under which accused personnel can be tried in a court. AFSPA has established a culture of impunity that allow military forces and governments to completely disregard human rights and the rule of law. Allegations of human rights abuses under AFSPA include personnel committing rape, using human shields on army vehicles, fake encounters, and disappearance while in custody.  A disturbed area, according to the Act, refers to when an area “is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary”. This essentially allows the Union government to use the Army or the Central Armed Forces in anti-insurgency operations against militants. In the past 12 months, it has been in force in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. An identical legislation has been in force in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. AFSPA does not have sufficient safeguards to ensure that the personnel conduct operations in a manner which conforms to standards on the use of force in conflict areas. When service personnel commit crimes while on duty, they are rarely held accountable. Accused personnel cannot be prosecuted in a criminal court unless the Union government or a state government agrees to give authorisation to prosecute them Citizens in AFSPA-imposed regions have long advocated abolition of the law for this,   https://thewire.in/rights/afspa-nagaland-civilian-killings

2.    Three martyred; Dec 08 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Check-e-Cholan area of the district. The troops also destroyed a residential house by using heavy weapons and chemical substance in the area. Meanwhile, the occupation authorities have suspended the internet service and sealed all entry and exit points of the area. Media persons are not being allowed to conduct coverage of the military operation.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/08/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-2.html

 

3.    India and human Rights; Dec 2021; A consortium of 34 international multi-faith human rights NGOs have written a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressing their deep concern that the president’s Summit for Democracy Dec. 9-10 will ignore the widespread violations of human rights, persecution, physical attacks and murder of members of minority religions in India as the government devolves from democracy to fascism. The letter, at more than 1,500 words, provides details and indisputable facts for 14 instances in which democracy is under attack or being abused by the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his BJP/RSS party. The letter has jointly written by the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, USA, Alternatives International, Canada, Ambedkar International Center, USA, Ambedkar King Study Circle, USA, Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance, UK, Association of Indian Muslims of America, USA, Aotearoa Alliance Of Progressive Indians (Aotearoa New Zealand.), Center for Pluralism, USA, CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud), Montreal, Canada, Chicago Coalition for Human Rights in India (CCHRI), USA, Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI), USA, Coalition of Seattle Indian Americans, USA, Dalit Solidarity Forum, USA, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA), North America, Foundation: The London Story, EU, Friends of India—Texas, USA, Hindus for Human Rights, USA, India Civil Watch International, North America, India Justice Project, Germany, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), USA, India Solidarity Germany, Germany, International Christian Concern, USA, International Commission for Dalit Rights, USA, International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India, International, International Society for Peace and Justice, USA, Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association (PLCA) Winnipeg, Canada, Scottish Indians for Justice, Scotland, South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network, Canada, South Asian Left Activist Movement (SALAM), USA, South Asia Solidarity Group, UK, Students Against Hindutva Ideology, USA, The Humanism Project, Australia, Turbine Bagh, UK, Voices Against Fascism in India, USA and Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), USA. The letter also expresses regret that more members of the international civil society were not included in planning for the summit, and those who were involved were warned that specific instances of member nations’ internal affairs, abuses, discrimination and persecution will be off-limits. “While your organizing principles are commendable, the process has been weak and exclusionary,” the letter states. “… We are committed to working with your administration to strengthen the Democracy Summit process. We therefore seek urgent consultation with your administration, not only to ensure that the Democracy Summit gets off to a meaningful start, but also that the process going forward gains in strength at every stage.” Unfortunately, the present Indian government cannot be considered one that shares the democratic values of your administration. While our two countries could never have claimed to be perfect democracies, it is important that the Summit start from acknowledging one key fact: the past seven years of BJP/RSS rule in India have seen a sharp and dramatic backsliding when it comes to democratic norms. Take the case of the Farm Laws: after passing sweeping laws as an ordinance without any consultation with farmers or the opposition, the government brutally repressed and demonized the farmers’ movement against the laws. Even the repeal of the three laws occurred in a manner suited to strongmen: instead of communicating with farmers, or following the parliamentary process, Mr Modi unilaterally announced the repeal. Not a word was said by Mr Modi about the 700+ deaths that his government’s intransigence and authoritarian approach in the matter had produced. We appreciate the three organizing principles around which the summit is organized, but urge you to attend to our critical concerns regarding India under each of these pillars: Defending against Authoritarianism: Freedom House has downgraded India’s democracy to “partly free.” International commentators from every major media publication have consistently raised the issue of India’s authoritarian turn over the last seven years. Three specific issues must be raised with Mr Modi: Anti-Minority Laws: The Modi government began its second term with the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Together with its corollary processes of the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register, the CAA/NRC/NPR create a framework for the active disenfranchisement of India’s largest minority—Muslims—stripping away their voting and citizenship rights. Not challenging these would be the equivalent of abetting conditions for a future genocide. All this is playing out in the context of a series of other laws targeting religious minorities, including anti-conversion and anti-inter religious marriage laws, which also target Christians. In addition, Christian institutions are under attack, with International Christian Concern counting India among the seven worst persecutors of Christians in the world. Kashmir: The sudden revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, and the overwhelming use of the military in Kashmir, with there being one soldier for every seven Kashmiris at one stage, is already being acknowledged internationally as the single most visible and unambiguous sign of BJP/RSS authoritarianism and its willingness to run roughshod over constitutional protections and guarantees; Dissent, Political Prisoners, and Draconian Laws: The last 7 years have seen a continuous and rising tide of arrest and imprisonment of dissenters under draconian anti-terror laws such as UAPA and the NSA in India. The Bhima Koregaon 16 case, the arrests of students, activists, and journalists in the wake of the Northeast Delhi violence, and most recently the arrests of journalists reporting on religious violence in Tripura, are just the most known instances. Those jailed without trial include some of India’s most prominent public intellectuals, poets, writers, journalists, lawyers, and leaders of the women’s movement. At least one prominent arrestee, Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy, passed away while still in custody due to the effects of being incarcerated during a global pandemic in his 80s. If dissent is the most important aspect of an active democracy, then PM Modi has a unique record in its repression. This includes significant evidence that in the landmark BK-16 case, evidence was falsely planted on defendants’ computers through malware, opening up a new vector of attack on critics of the government ;Addressing and Fighting Corruption:While the Modi government first came to office on an anti-corruption plank, it has since proven to be one of the most opaque and nontransparent governments India has known. Three issues of international scale and core to American interests and values must be raised with PM Modi at the summit: Electoral Bonds: The Modi government introduced electoral bonds in 2015, sneaking them in as part of the budget process. This set into place the most opaque electoral finance system in the democratic world. It allows for national and international corporations to pay into party funds with no oversight and no transparency. From summary figures available, it is clear that large numbers of international shell companies are involved in financing Indian political parties, and that the BJP is by far the single largest recipient of such funds. While US funders of electoral bonds in India must be revealed, this assault on the financial underpinnings of India’s democracy must stop ; Rafale and Crony Capitalism: India’s position as a valued member of the Quad is premised on transparent and incorruptible trade, particularly in the arms sector. The Rafale deal with France is a subject of an ongoing French investigation. What has already been revealed about the deal, including data submitted to the Comptroller and Auditor General in India, points to a specific corporation being favored, and millions of dollars of graft money being at play. Democracy cannot survive in an atmosphere of crony capitalism ; PMCARES Fund: The PMCARES fund is at the centre of the financial scandal that emerged even as India faced two devastating waves of the pandemic. Under Indian law and as per the government’s promotional material while raising money for PMCARES, this fund meets the definition of a government fund. And yet, today, the government of India claims the fund is not a government fund, and refuses to release any details about it, even though several government agencies, including the Indian consulate in Washington, DC, and 26 other countries, advertised PMCARES and helped raise funds for it! ; Advancing Respect for Human Rights:This government is marked by explicit attacks on human rights coming from its top leadership. PM Modi has demonized non-governmental organizations by claiming they are working to “finish him”; Amit Shah has dismissed human rights as Western concepts that don’t apply to India; National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has branded civil society as the “new frontier of war”; and Bipin Rawat, the chief of defence staff, has valorized lynching. Such naked attacks on human rights from the very top echelons of the administration need to be a central concern of the summit ; Digital surveillance and planting of evidence: Two recent revelations on surveillance and evidence planting, potentially by the Indian state, suggest a severe rise in the misuse of spying technologies to attack critics of the government. Pegasus was used to snoop on journalists, top opposition leaders, and even independent election commissioners; the malware Netwire went one step further and planted evidence on the computers of dissenters. While several democratic governments have opened investigations in the wake of these revelations, the Indian government has refused to do so thus far. Given your recent sanctions against the NSO Group, the US must call on Mr Modi to immediately stop the use of malware to target civil society, investigate these harms, and punish offenders; Worsening caste oppression and erosion of legislative protections: Caste remains the most pervasive form of violation of basic human rights in India, and the last several years have seen an alarming increase in caste atrocities. Particularly in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP-led state government and police have themselves been complicit in covering up sexual violence against Dalits. Groups connected to the RSS have led to violence against Dalits on university campuses and in the state of Gujarat. Moreover, the Modi government failed to protect provisions in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which acts as a crucial deterrent, until protests and the opposition forced it to do so. The BK-16 case is another example of the BJP/RSS’s punitive retaliation against Dalit assertion and their exercising of civil and cultural rights by commemorating Dalit valour in the historic Bhima-Koregaon battle; Labor Codes: In September 2020, the Narendra Modi government passed new laws governing Labor when the opposition was absent from Parliament. These laws make it harder for labour unions to be recognized; harder for workers to go on strike, and made it easier for some companies to lay off workers with impunity. The assault on labour rights is a critical part of the Modi government’s overall assault on human rights ; The Swedish V-Dem Institute has described India as an “electoral autocracy,” and we agree: this is the single most anti-democratic government India has ever seen. Therefore, we are committed to working with your administration to strengthen the Democracy Summit process. https://twocircles.net/2021dec08/444316.html

4.    73 years on: Kashmir crisis remains a living hell; Dec 10, 2021; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum today lamented the seeming conspiracy of silence over gross affronts to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Indian occupied Kashmir, an occupation which itself violates still binding United Nations Security Council resolutions dictating a self-determination there under United Nations supervision. That unheroic muteness has emboldened India to a chilling campaign of human rights atrocities against innocent Kashmiris. The 900,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces operate outside the rule of law under the protective umbrella of an Indian immunity statute. Egregious human rights violations are commonplaces:  extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, plunder, abductions, mutilations, and arbitrary detentions. It is even a crime to salute implementation of the Security Council plebiscite resolutions, a shocking affront to the Council itself. “The presence of the ‘UDHR’ and other human rights instruments offers no comfort to the people of Kashmir because its framers have not lived up to its spirit, at least applying it selectively to suit the objectives of certain powers. The candor and fair-mindedness support the conclusion that the United Nations has been painfully ineffective measured by the yardsticks of international peace, human rights, and self-determination,” Fai added. Fai warned that the people of Kashmir can hardly believe that august bodies such as the United Nations recognize that the preservation of international peace and the realization of human rights are shared and common concerns of humankind. They are simply perplexed as to how to interpret such joi de vivre. Over seventy-three years have lapsed since the adoption of this Declaration but the people of Kashmir have not seen an iota of change in the human rights situation in Kashmir. For worse may be but never for the better. Such documents are meaningless for the people of Kashmir or for any other people who do not see their application, or even a negative mention to those who ride rough shod over them with total impunity while enjoying the good graces of some of the members of the world community to aspire to a high moral station above others. If international law were applied evenhandedly in Kashmir, an international war crimes tribunal would have been established years ago to try the scores of Indian civilian and military leaders guilty of crimes against humanity and aggression. What Slobodan Milosevich did in Kosovo and Bosnia pales in comparison to what Indian civilian and military grandees have done in Kashmir for 73 successive years, something resembling genocide on the installment plan. "Too often," Dr. Fai deplored, "the international community closes its eyes to the brutal reality of Kashmir because of India's hegemony in South Asia and its potentially attractive consumer market. It has crowned India with a veto power over outside intervention. A shocking affront to the Council itself. Yet, India has the temerity to seek a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. Dr. Fai appealed to the United Nations to persuade India for: i). Complete cessation of military and paramilitary action by Indian forces against the people of Jammu and Kashmir; ii).  Unconditional release of political prisoners iii).  Repealing of all draconian laws; iv) Revoking Domicile Law which is designed to change the demography of Kashmir and v). Restoring the right of peaceful association, assembly, and demonstration. “If the peaceful settlement to Kashmir crisis is to be reached, and if India is to stop dealing with the crises through sheer brutality and terror, world attention must be focused on Kashmir. Today, in this hour of darkness, in this hour of trial, in this hour of total isolation and entrapment, the people of Kashmir are being mangled and decimated, their land is being scorched. Everyday scores of people of dying, with them are dying the hopes of an entire generation and entire civilization,” Fai concluded. Dr. Fai can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435. Or.  gnfai2003@yahoo.com

5.    Youth martyred; Dec 12, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district. The youth was martyred by Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel during cordon and search operation at Baragam area of the district, today, (Sunday) morning.. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2.html

 

 

  

 

Weekly update -119; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir Nov,30, 2021 to Dec ,7, 2021 .

1.     Human cost; Dec 1 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred 651 Kashmiris including 13 women since 2019 in the territory. According to a report compiled by Research Section of Kashmir Media, of those 99 Kashmiris were killed by the Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel in fake encounters and custody since 2019. The Indian troops, paramilitary, police personnel and notorious National Investigation Agency arrested over 18,000 Hurriyat leaders, activists, youth, students, journalists, civil society members and women in, at least, 12,694 cordon and search operations in the territory. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/30/indian-troops-martyr-651-kashmiris-in-iiojk-since-2019.html

2.    November 2021 Human cost; Dec 2 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops, in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred twenty Kashmiris during the last month of November. According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, of those killed eight Kashmiris were martyred in fake encounters and in custody. These killings rendered three (3) woman widowed and six (6) children orphaned and a house was damaged by Indian troops during the period. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/12/01/indian-troops-martyr-20-kashmiris-in-november.html

 

Weekly update -118; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Nov,23, 2021 to Nov ,30, 2021.

1.     UN; Nov 4 2021; Rights groups including the United Nations have criticised the arrest of a prominent activist in Indian-administered Kashmir on terror funding charges.Khurram Parvez was arrested late on Monday by India's federal National Investigation Agency (NIA), an Indian official briefed on the situation told Reuters. His residence and office were searched and a mobile phone, laptop and books seized, he added. A spokesperson for the NIA confirmed Parvez's arrest on Tuesday. He is being held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, that allows for detention of up to six months without trial. Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, called Parvez's arrest "disturbing". "He's not a terrorist, he's a human rights defender," she said in a tweet. Parvez, one of Kashmir's best known activists, is head of Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, a group of rights organisations working in the region. It(India)  tightly controls access to Kashmir for foreign observers, including the UN UN criticises 'disturbing' arrest of rights activist in Indian Kashmir | Reuters

2.    Three martyred; Nov., 5 ,202l: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The troops shot dead the youth in Rambagh area of Srinagar. The killings triggered forceful anti-India demonstrations. The protesters raised high-pitched anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. The demonstrators said that the youth were innocent civilians and were killed by the troops in a fake encounter. Eyewitnesses told media that the victims were taken out from a car and shot dead on the street by the troops. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/24/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.html

3.    Women ; Nov  25 2021; The world is observing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, today, while women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to be haunted by fear, insecurity, agony, mourning and howls of pain inflicted by occupying India. According to an analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, India has designed its own legal license to target the sanctity and dignity of Kashmiri women. Particularly after August 5, 2019, the BJP’s goons now have legal cover to openly pursue their evil agenda by passing derogatory remarks about Kashmiri women while ignoring their human and religious rights. As per the KMS report, over 2,347 women had been martyred and 11,246 molested by the Indian troops in the occupied territory since 1989. Indian state terrorism has rendered 22,939 Kashmiri women widowed in the past 33 years. The report deplored that India was using molestation of women as a weapon of war in the occupied territory. India is using molestation of women as a weapon of war in IIOJK, the report said and added Kashmiri women are mentally tortured through enforced disappearances of their loved ones. Indian troops are routinely subjecting Kashmiri women to sexual harassment to humiliate Kashmiris  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/25/over-2300-kashmiri-women-martyred-11246-molested-by-indian-troops-since-1989.html

4.    Kashmiris have not forgotten UN promises; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai; Nov., 25, 2021; the people of Jammu & Kashmir have not forgotten that it was on April 21, 1948, that the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution # 47 which states that the future of Kashmir shall be decided by its inhabitants. There have been successive United Nations security Council resolutions that pledged to the people of Kashmir their right to self-determination. The Indian Government has barred the exercise of this right and has waged a campaign of terror against the people of Kashmir. The Kashmiris have become victims of systematic and extreme brutalities, and nothing has been done by the world powers or any organ of the United Nations including the Secretary General to permit them any relief or redress. Each time the people of Kashmir have demanded the right to self-determination, Indian authorities have responded with extreme repression. India is a signatory to the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights,’ which guarantees that ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,’ that ‘no one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,’ and that ‘no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.’ These rights are being violated by the Indian army and its paramilitary forces, day in, day out. Since 1989, the Indian Government has embarked upon a campaign of mass slaughter, rape and robbery against the people of Kashmir. It is estimated that since January 1990, more than 100,000 people have been killed in Kashmir at the hands of the Indian forces of occupation. More than 10,000 persons have involuntarily disappeared. Their wives are called “Half-widows” because no one knows whether they are dead or alive. Further, it is estimated that hundreds of Kashmiris are held as political prisoners by the government of India. Very recently, on November 15, 2021, the killing of three innocent Kashmiris, Dr. Mudasir Gul, Altaf Butt and Mohammad Amir in Hyderpora, Srinagar, Kashmir in a fake encounter has once again shaken the conscience of the global civil society. This act of barbarism by occupation army signifies the death of so-called Indian democracy. This latest killing of innocent civilians needs a transparent investigation by a neutral outside agency, like the United Nations. And, now the Arrest of World-renowned Human Rights Activist Khurram Parvez by NIA of India on November 21, 2021 is obviously travesty of justice. Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defender tweeted: Khurram Parvez is not a terrorist. He is a Human Rights Defender. India has legalized torture, arbitrary arrest, wanton destruction of property and has given its soldiers the right to kill at sight, and to conduct searches without warrant. Here are few black laws authorized by the Government of India which clearly violate international standards. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA). This law enables the Indian armed forces in Kashmir to detain civilians for up to one year without trial or due process for a wide variety of reasons, including the exercise of free speech. Under this law, an individual who prints pamphlets and newsletters that advocate the implementation of the United Nations resolutions calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir can also be arrested and detailed without formal charge or due process. That is why the Amnesty International calls the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 'Lawless Law. In 2011, Amnesty International’s ‘Lawless Law’ report revealed that, given the political context in J&K, the PSA was used to detain, among others, political leaders, lawyers, and individuals who challenged the state through political action or peaceful dissent. The report found that the PSA provides for arbitrary detention, which violates the right to liberty under human rights law binding on India. Furthermore, the report found that state authorities also used the PSA to facilitate other human rights violations, including incommunicado detentions, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (other ill-treatment) in custody, and detention on vague grounds. Based on these findings, the report called on the Government of J&K to repeal the PSA, abolish the administrative detention system, either release those held under the PSA or charge them with a recognised criminal offence, and to try them in a regular court in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness. The Terrorist and Disruptive Act (TADA). This act allows Indian forces to round up and detain citizens for up to one year without formal charges, due process of law or formal trial. When and if court hearings are held, they are held in secret. Victims are not allowed to confront their accusers, and witnesses can keep their identities secret. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 (UAPA). Under UAPA a person can be incarcerated up to 180 days without a charge sheet being filed. It does not allow right to dissent. The Amnesty International Executive Director has said that UAPA has been used to “target journalists and human rights defenders who criticize government policies.” The National Security Act. Under this law, the Indian armed forces can detain individuals for up to one year without charges or trial to prevent them from ‘acting in a manner prejudicial to state security.’ Under his law, an individual does not even have to take a specific action to be detained. If the Indian authorities believe that he is about to do something, they can detain him without charge to prevent him from acting The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) [Jammu and Kashmir]. . This law was passed on September 10, 1990. It allows the Governor of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to unilaterally ‘declare the whole or any part f the state to be a disturbed area.’ By identifying Kashmir as a disturbed area, this act empowers the armed forces to search homes without warrant, arrest Kashmiri people without warrant, destroy entire home and villages and shoot innocent civilians in the streets with intent to kill. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in her report issued on July8, 2019 states, "The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990 (AFSPA) remains a key obstacle to accountability. As described in the June 2018 OHCHR report, this Act grants broad powers to the security forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively bestows immunity on security forces from prosecution in civilian courts for their conduct, by requiring the Central Government to sanction all prospective prosecutions against such personnel." Justice Rajinder Sachar, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, during an event organized by ‘People’s Union for Civil Liberties’ on May 7, 2016, urged all to unite to pressurise the government to repeal sedition laws and Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) . Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, President, Jammu Kashmir Council for Human Rights submitted a written statement to the UN Human Rights Council on August 30, 2019. He elaborated that there was a war going on between the people of Kashmir and the Indian Security forces. The June 2018 and July 2019 reports by OHCHR have detailed the situation. According to these reports “The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (AFSPA) grants broad powers to the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively bestows immunity on security forces from prosecution in civilian courts for their conduct, by requiring the Central Government to sanction all prospective prosecutions against such personnel”. For any of the above actions, article 7 of the act, titled ‘protection of persons acting in good faith under this act’ holds that ‘no prosecutions, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted…against any person in respect to anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this act. This means that any member of the armed forces who conducts the above-described human rights violations – torture, summary executions of civilians, burning down homes and villages, and arbitrary arrest – can do so with total immunity from prosecution. These draconian laws violate articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights (ICCPR). Currently, two dangerous misunderstandings exist about the Kashmir issue. If allowed to continue, they can destroy the potential of peace making in the subcontinent:  These are: (a)  Kashmiris have been battered into submission by Indian forces through these draconian laws. (b)  India is unbendingly opposed to giving up her occupation of Kashmir; so it is futile to bring any pressure on her. As regards the first, one need only to recall what happened to a nation as great as France under the 5-year Nazi occupation.  That so many prominent Frenchmen and sections of French society refused to offer any resistance to German forces; that men of standing like Petain and Laval collaborated with the Nazis are undeniable facts.  Did they betoken even a limited popularity of the Nazis?  Certainly not.  All they brought out was the opportunism of a few individuals or groups and the weakness inherent in human nature when confronted with life’s necessities.  The thinking runs along these lines: life is to be lived; if an overarching issue is remaining undecided, one has still to face relatively minor but pressing day-to-day matters and one has to try to tackle them. If this happened in France in four or five years of alien occupation, is it any wonder that it should happen in Kashmir after seventy-four years of unremittingly suppressive alien rule. The second misunderstanding arises from a superficial reading of realities. It is true that successive governments in India have persistently presented a completely intransigent front on the Kashmir issue. But if no cracks are visible in that front, it is because no pressure whatsoever has been applied which would expose the realities under the surface. During the last two years or so, particularly since August 5, 2019, when Article 370 and 35A were abrogated, several articles have appeared in the international press and even in mainstream India press written by thoughtful Indians opposed to the official policy on the issue. They take their stand not on morality but realistically on India’ own long-term interest. That an unresolved Kashmir issue, the occupation of Kashmir in defiance of the people’s wishes, has damaged India’s democratic credentials and hence her standing and aspiration for an enhanced status in the United Nations is a point of emphasis in their pleadings. Only shallow thinking will regard this current of Indian opinion as inconsequential. If world powers want to help bring about a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute, it must demand from India as a first step, the immediate repeal of these black laws. The world powers and particularly, the United Nations Human Rights Council is in a position to arrest the course of brutalities by examining and exposing the situation and persuading both India and Pakistan that the way to bring peace and stability to the region of South Asia is by resolving the Kashmir dispute to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435.  Or gnfai2003@yahoo.com Courtesy: Daily Sabah, Istanbul

5.    One martyred; Nov., 27, 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a youth in Poonch district. The youth was martyred by Indian troops during a continued violent military operation in Bhimber Gali, area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/26/india-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-poonch.html 

Weekly update -117; - Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Nov,16, 2021 to Nov ,23, 2021.

1.     Four martyred; Nov., 16, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri businessmen and a surgeon doctor in cold blood in Srinagar. The troops martyred a cement trader Altaf Ahmad Butt, a property dealer, a tea stall owner and a dental surgeon identified as Mudassar during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Hyderpora area of the city on Monday evening.  Speaking to the media, martyr Altaf Butt’s niece Saima Butt said that her uncle was a common man and was not involved in any militant activity as claimed by the police. “My uncle has been murdered. He was used as a human shield during the cordon and search operation. He ran a hardware shop and owned the complex where the forces had come for checking,” said Saima. During protest at Press Enclave in Srinagar, family members of the victims also demanded the return of bodies of the victims for proper burial. “Police should return the body of my beloved son,” said the wailing mother of victim Dr Mudasir, adding that her son was innocent. Other family members of martyrs outrightly rejected police claim and added that all the martyrs were innocent. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/16/indian-troops-martyr-three-traders-in-srinagar-in-cold-blood.html

2.    Extra judicial killings; No 18,2021; the international rights advocacy group headquartered in the US, has sought a “credible and independent” probe into the allegations that a civilian was used as a human shield during a shootout in Srinagar’s Hyderpora localit. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of HRW, said it was the “responsibility of security forces to keep civilians from harm during an armed operation, not to place them in harm’s way.” “The authorities should immediately order a transparent, credible and independent investigation into this incident,” The killing of businessman Altaf Ahmad Bhat, father of three minor children, in a controversial shootout that left four people dead in Srinagar, has sparked allegations that he was used as a human shield by security forces In a conflict situation, the Geneva Conventions, to which India is a signatory, forbid the use of human shields who can be either civilians or prisoners of war. A human shield is used by any side involved in a conflict in a potentially life-threatening situation to achieve their own military objectives.  Eyewitnesses and family members who spoke with The Wire said a search team of security forces led by the J&K police asked Altaf, owner of the shopping complex in Srinagar’s Hyderpora locality where the shootout took place, to accompany them when they started the anti-militancy operation.  “If security forces knew there were militants inside the building, why did they ask my brother to accompany them? They deliberately put him in harm’s way. He was used as a human shield,” Altaf’s brother, Abdul Majid Bhat, told The Wire, dismissing rumours that his brother was linked to militancy. Majid’s claim has been corroborated by several eyewitnesses who saw the happenings at the shopping complex when the search unit started the operation on Monday at around 5:30 pm. Two eyewitnesses who spoke with The Wire on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that when the search unit arrived, counterinsurgency forces in the civvies were already deployed in the area, “They asked the traders to down their shutters while other forces laid a cordon around the complex,” said an eyewitness.Security forces then assembled the traders and their workers in a two-wheeler showroom housed in the shopping complex and seized their mobile phones. As the cordon was tightened, the search unit attempted their first entry into the complex  Habeeb Iqbal, a human rights lawyer based in south Kashmir, said the statement of the J&K police suggests that Altaf was asked to accompany them when the “possibility of a gunfight was high”, which is “illegal  The families of Altaf and Dr Mudasir staged a protest in Srinagar’s Press Enclave on Wednesday evening, demanding that the police must return their mortal remains so that they could perform the last rites. Despite freezing cold conditions, the families, which included the wife and one-year-old daughter of Dr Mudasir, were planning to continue the protest through the night.“We don’t want justice. We only want the body of my brother. We want to get a glimpse of his face and give him a decent burial close to his home so that we can visit his grave and pray for him,” Majid, Altaf’s brother said. https://thewire.in/security/srinagar-encounter-eyewitnesses-civilians-human-shields-hrw-probe-demanded

3.    One martyred: Nov., 20. 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Ashmuji area of the district. Indian troops martyr one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam – Kashmir Media Service (kmsnews.org)

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Weekly update -116;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Nov,9, 2021 to Nov ,15, 2021.

1.     Three martyred: Nov., 12, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam and Srinagar districts, taking the toll to three since yesterday. A youth was martyred by the troops today morning during an ongoing cordon and search operation (CASO) in Chawalgam area of Kulgam district, taking the number of youth killed in the area to two. Earlier, a youth was martyred during the initial stages of the violent military operation, which began in Chawalgam area on Thursday. In Srinagar, the troops martyred a youth in a fake encounter during a separate cordon and search operation in Bemina area of the city. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/12/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.htm 

 

Weekly update -115;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Nov,2, 2021 to Nov ,8, 2021.

1.     Jammu Martyrs’ Day : Nov., 5, 2021:Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over will observe the Jammu Martyrs’ Day on Saturday to reaffirm the resolve to continue the martyrs’ mission till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination. Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris were massacred by the forces of Maharaja Hari Singh, Indian army and Hindu extremists in different parts of Jammu region while they were migrating to Pakistan during the first week of November in 1947  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/11/04/jammu-martyrs-day-to-be-observed-on-saturday.html

2.    Global expression of solidarity with Kashmiris must: Nov., 6, 2021:  Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed  said that it is very painful to state that on one hand Security Council resolutions call for Kashmir’s right to self-determination under United Nations supervised plebiscite, and on the other hand ‘The International People’s Tribunal on Jammu & Kashmir’ have discovered thousands of unnamed and unmarked mass graves in Jammu & Kashmir. He reminded that the demographic changes are taking place in the IIOJ&K and about 4.1 million new domiciles have been issued to non-Kashmiris brought from the mainland India, which is a violation of the Indian constitution and international law. Senator Hussain warned that the Indian regime is not providing medical facilities to the jailed freedom-loving Kashmiris, like Yasin Malik, Aasia Andrabi and others. India is also violating the basic rights of freedom of speech and any Kashmiri who writes anything on the digital media, is pushed behind bars under the notorious ‘Unlawful Activity Prevention Act’ (UAPA) laws. The time is ripe to internationalize the Kashmir issue and there should be global expression of solidarity with the oppressed people of Kashmir. Let us send a strong message to the people of Kashmir who are struggling and sacrificing against Indian occupation that Kashmir cause is above any partisan politics and support to the Kashmir cause is unwavering, Senator Hussain underscored. Welcoming the participants to the Kashmir Black Day, Ambassador (Dr.) Asad Majeed Khan said that it is our collective responsibility to sensitize the world powers, including the United States on the plight of Kashmiri people and urged them to play their role in resolving the Kashmir dispute as envisaged in the UNSC Resolutions and in accordance with wishes of the Kashmiri people. Ambassador Khan said that the abrogation of Article 370 & 35A were in contravention to India’s commitments to the United Nations. He added that the illegal and immoral actions taken by Indian army in occupied Kashmir poses a serious peace and security threat in the region of South Asia and called the world powers to urge India to end its human rights violations in IIOJK and rescind illegal and unilateral actions taken on August 5, 2019. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum said “The Kashmiris only want to be given the same opportunity to determine their future policy that was accorded to the rest of the people of the undivided India in 1947. The first liberation war was waged that year and had all but succeeded had India not intervened militarily to enslave the people of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. Subsequently, the question of Kashmir’s future was taken to the United Nations, by India itself, be it noted, and it was at the world assembly that India promised the free exercise of the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir. It has never honored that promise.” Dr. Fai explained that since 1990, there has been a mass uprising of freedom from Indian occupation in Kashmir. India’s response has been brutal. At least, 100,000 innocent people have been killed by Indian occupation forces, thousand women raped, hundreds of villages burnt or raged to the ground, green fields laid to waste and the most beautiful piece of land on earth turned into a crucible of hate and violence. Fai asked: How long will the world powers watch in silence as India carries out the genocide of the people of Kashmir? This is a question the Kashmiris are asking too. World powers should persuade India to stop the killing; to end the repression; to revoke Domicile Law which is designed to change the demography of the State of Jammu & Kashmir; and to fulfill its promise so that a new era of good will, peace & prosperity can dawn into Subcontinent. Meanwhile, the United Nations must establish the necessary conditions for the holding of a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir. “Time is not on the side of Kashmiris. Everyday more and more atrocities are committed by Indian army; everybody a larger segment of the Kashmir’s population becomes alienated. Therefore, we ask the Biden Administration to take a principled and practical stand on the Kashmir issue and state its support for the human rights of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, and from a practical solution to easing nuclear tensions in the region by resolving the root cause of the India-Pakistan crisis: the continued denial of the Kashmir people’s right to self-determination,” Fai added. Dr. Imtiaz Khan, Professor at George Washington University Medical Center said that denial of right to self-determination has resulted in the suffering of the people of Kashmir. It is also an imminent threat to the security of the region. Dr. Khan gave detailed account of the numerous massacres in Kashmir, including Chattisingpora, Beijbehara, Mashali Mohala,  Sopore, Hnadwara, Gawkadal. He also reminded the audience about Kunan-Poshpora when Indian army gang raped over 100 innocent women, between the ages of 10 to 70. Justice is yet to be delivered, despite the lapse of 30 long years. And world powers do not realize that the deadly cost of their silence and inaction in this regard. The Kashmir cause received great momentum and support with the report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights which called for a fact-finding mission on this issue. The assertion of Antonio Guterres that Kashmir issue should be resolved under UN Charter and applicable UN Security Council resolutions testifies the international sanctity of the Kashmir cause. Dr. Khan urged the UN Secretary General to take effective and immediate measures: first to bring the atrocities to an end, second, to bring parties together for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Ambassador Tauqir Hussain, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University said that he always believed any peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute can only happen in the context of India- Pakistan relations. It had been India’s desire to make Pakistan and the context of India Pakistan relations irrelevant to the Kashmir dispute. And instead follow the third option that is of finding an internal solution to the problem without the involvement of Pakistan and the international community. But the United Nations resolutions and Article 370 were standing in the way as both had given locus standi to Pakistan and the international community. The need for the linkage in a dialogue has never been greater. If India is not interested in such a dialogue where Kashmir is the central agenda why should Pakistan be? Pakistan needs to enhance its influence with the international community, especially big powers more so the United States. One must appeal to their national interests. The context of doing that is an improved US Pakistan relationship where Pakistan is relevant to American scheme of things. Pakistan will have a voice then. Ambassador Hussain underscored that ironically, by slamming the door shut on the international community, India may have overreached itself diplomatically. In trying to make Pakistan irrelevant to Kashmir, India has made it even more relevant. Both the Kashmiris and Pakistan have now nowhere else to go. Colonel Wes Martin (Ret.), Iraqi war veteran highlighted the human rights atrocities being committed by the Indian army in Kashmir. He hoped that the United States intervention can bring it to a halt if it takes a firm stand against India’s illegal actions in Kashmir, particularly since August 5, 2019. India’s claim that Kashmir is its internal matter has been rejected by the United Nations which believes that Kashmir conflict has to be resolved under UN Charter and applicable UN Security Council resolutions. Col. Martin added that Kashmir was known as paradise. Now because of India’s actions, the paradise does not exist anymore. India has enacted new laws to change the demography of Kashmir. Mass graves have been discovered there. Now is the time that we need to become the voice of the people of Kashmir. Among others, following Kashmiri Americans were present: Saleem Qadri, Sardar Zarif Khan, Shoaib Irshad, Akram Butt, etc. Dr. Fai can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435. Or. gnfai2003@yahoo.com

  

 

  

Weekly update -114;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Oct,26, 2021 to Nov ,1, 2021.

1.     Youth martyred: October 28. 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district. The troops martyred the youth, Javed Ahmad, resident of Kulgam district, during a cordon and search operation  in Cherdari area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/28/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla.html

 

 

Weekly update -113;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Oct,19, 2021 to Oct ,25, 2021.

1.     Four martyred; October 20: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth, raising the toll to four, today. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation, this evening, in Devsar area of Kulgam district  Earlier in the morning today, the troops martyred two youth in a military operation in Draged area of the Shopian district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/20/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-today-raising-toll-to-4-in-iiojk.html

2.    Four martyred; October 20: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth, raising the toll to four, today. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation, this evening, in Devsar area of Kulgam district  Earlier in the morning today, the troops martyred two youth in a military operation in Draged area of the Shopian district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/20/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-today-raising-toll-to-4-in-iiojk.html

 

   

Weekly update -112;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Oct,12, 2021 to Oct ,18, 2021.

1.     Two martyred; Oct 12 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in the territory. Indian troops during violent cordon and search operations killed a youth Imtiyaz Ahmad in Shahgund area of Bandipore district and another in Khagund area of Islamabad district.The troops also arrested five youth during the operations in Bandipore district and Islamabad districts. An Indian police man also received bullet injuries during the operation in Khagund area. He was shifted to nearby hospital for treatment. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/11/indain-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk.html

2.    Five martyred; Oct 13 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. Indian troops during a violent cordon and search operation (CASO) killed three youth in Tulran area of Shopian district. Two more youth were killed by the troops during an operation in Feeripora area of the same district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/12/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-shopian.html

3.    Youth martyred; October 13 : In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today.  The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of the district https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama.html

4.    Two martyred; Oct., 16, 2021:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar and Pulwama, today. The troops martyred one youth during a cordon and search operation in Bemina area of Srinagar. The troops martyred another youth during a similar operation in Wahibug area of Pulwama district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/15/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk-2.html

Weekly update -111;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Oct,5, 2021 to Oct ,12, 2021.

1.     Two martyred; Oct 10 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian police martyred a Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, this evening. The police shot dead the youth in Natipora area of Srinagar. Indian troops martyred an unarmed civilian, Pervez Ahmad, by opening fire on his vehicle at Monghal Bridge in Islamabad district, last evening. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/08/one-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-rises-to-two.html

 

Weekly update -110;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep ,28,  2021 to Nov,5,  2021

1.     Four youth martyred ; Sep 29 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district The youth were killed by the troops during a violent continued cordon and search operation in Gohalanf Uri area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/28/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-baramulla.html

2.    Women in Kashmir; Oct 1 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops are deliberately targeting the Kashmiri women to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing struggle for securing freedom from India’s illegal occupation of their soil. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said Kashmiri women are the worst victims of Indian state terrorism in IIOJK and they have faced harassment, abuse and sexual violence at the hands of Indian forces for the last over seven decades particularly since 1989 when the Kashmiris intensified their freedom struggle. The report pointed out that the Kashmiri women are raped, dragged out and sometimes beaten mercilessly by the troops especially during cordon and search operations in the occupied territory. It cited the recent incident in which Indian Army personnel assaulted a family during a CASO in Tral area of Pulwama. The troops broke into Seer Jageer village in Tral and ruthlessly beat up members of a family including woman on Monday night The report said that Indian forces are using rape as a tool to humiliate the Kashmiris and intimidate them into submission. It said that the forces’ personnel have raped 11,246 women since January 1989 till date in IIOJK and Kunanposhpora mass rape and Shopian double rape and murder case are glaring examples of barbarity of Indian forces in the occupied territory. Indian troops had molested around 100 women during a siege and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of 23 February 1991. Indian men in uniform abducted two women Aasiya and Neelofar on 29 May 2009 in Shopian, raped and subsequently killed them in custody. Their bodies were found in a shallow stream in the town, next morning. The report said that Indian troops and police personnel are enjoying complete impunity for their brutal actions as not a single soldier or policeman has been punished for sexual abuses of Kashmiri women. It said that Indian’s illegal occupation on Jammu and Kashmir is the main cause of victimization of women in IIOJK. It added that the world community must hold India accountable for its atrocities especially for using rape as a weapon of war in IIOJK. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/30/india-targeting-women-to-suppress-kashmiris-freedom-struggle.html

3.    Youth martyred; Oct 1 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Shopian district.. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth was killed ny troops during cordon operation in Rakhama area of district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/01/indian-troops-martyr-a-youth-in-shopian.html

4.    UN on Kashmir; October 2): The United Nations has strongly reacted to India’s recent rejection of the UN Human Rights chief, Michelle Bachelet’s remarks wherein she voiced her continued concern over the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, inaugurating the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 13 said, “Indian authorities’ restrictions on public assembly, and frequent temporary communication blackouts, continue in Jammu and Kashmir, while hundreds of people remain in detention for exercising their right to the freedom of expression, and journalists face ever-growing pressure.” Ongoing use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act throughout India is worrying, with Jammu and Kashmir having among the highest number of cases in the country,” the UN rights chief said in the section on the disputed territory, adding that “such restrictive measures can result in human rights violations and foster further tensions and discontent.” India had stated that Michelle Bachelet’s comments on the situation in IIOJK are “unwarranted and do not reflect the ground reality.” Craig Mokhiber, director of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ New York office, on Thursday said, “We will never side with India or Pakistan on Kashmir. But our job is to protect the vulnerable and take the perspective of the victim.”He maintained that the UN Charter internationalized the human rights for all of the members of the UN and it is the responsibility of the governments to ensure freedom from fear for the people. Kashmir is a difficult issue, he said, because of tensions between India and Pakistan, as well as the roles that both countries play in the international community. Mokhiber said the UN Human Right Office “will always protect the identity of vulnerable witnesses and victims everywhere”. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/01/un-reacts-to-rejection-of-rights-chiefs-comments-by-india.html 

 Weekly update -109;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep ,21,  2021 to Sep , 28,  2021

1.     Youth martyred; Sep 24 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, raising the toll to four in a single day, today.Three youth were killed by the troops in a fake encounter in Uri area of the district. The violent operation was launched by the troops on September 18 in the area. Earlier, the troops martyred a youth in Chitragam area of Shopian district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/23/indian-troops-martyr-2-kashmiri-youth-in-uri-baramullah.html

2.    Biden to Modi; Sep 25 2021; In his first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden spoke about the need for non-violence, tolerance and diversity in current times, even as he said that both countries are destined to be “stronger, closer and tighter”. Biden’s comment marks the second time the US has spoken to Modi in public about the importance of democracy in as many days. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said “it is imperative that we defend democratic principles and institutions within our respective countries”. These remarks come against the backdrop of growing concerns abroad over the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric in India and curbs on dissent. “Kamala Harris presses India’s Modi gently on human rights in historic meeting,” the Los Angeles Times reported in its headline. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/biden-to-modi-gandhis-message-of-tolerance-respect-diversity-needed-more-than-ever

3.    HRs Organations on India in Kashmir and India; Sep 25 2021; As Indian Prime Minister is set to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) forum in New York on September 25, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the international community to "spotlight the human rights abuses" of his government. On September 22, the U.S. congressional briefing on 'Religious freedom in India' by the Human Rights Watch revealed an appalling record of the human rights violations by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The testimony of John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director put forward "scathing criticism" of the Indian government's assault on religious minorities inIndia. The U.S. congressmen were briefed that the attacks against religious minorities in India, especially Muslims, had increased especially since the BJP came to power in 2014. The testimony also documented the Indian laws and policies to discriminate against religious minorities, the bias against Muslims in the Indian justice system, ongoing clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP's government's empowering of vigilantes and crackdown on civil society for raising these issues. It was highlighted that the BJP leaders and affiliated groups had long stigmatized minority communities as a "threat to national security and to the Hindu way of life", and making hate-filled remarks against Muslims around state and national elections.  The Modi government has adopted laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and other minorities.

4.    This divisive political discourse has served to normalize violence against minorities, especially Muslims, in India. The prejudices embedded in the government have infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass, and attack religious minorities with impunity.   https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/modis-rights-abuses-in-spotlight-ahead-of-un-1359060.html

5.    UK on Kashmir; Sep 26 2021; The Members of British Parliament have called on their government to use its weight to help resolve the decades old Kashmir dispute, and that the entry of the Indian High Commissioner in the parliament be barred. In a debate on a motion moved by the MPs from the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir in the House of Commons on Thursday, the parliamentarians asked the UK government to use its influence to ensure investigation of the terrible situation. “The Pakistani government allowed us unfettered access. We used our meetings to ask pointed questions related to human rights issues highlighted in United Nations reports,” she said. “Kashmiris must be at the heart of a trilateral peace building process.” Robbie Moore, the Conservative MP for Keighley, said, “we can use our influence to ensure that this terrible situation is investigated and that our government uses its weight and its influence to put pressure to seek a solution.” In a passionate speech, Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East, outlined the human rights abuses faced by Kashmiris, saying, “In the last two years, human rights groups have documented the everyday reality of this governance for Kashmiris. Mass arrests and raids, torture, the suppression of free assembly, the crushing of the Kashmiri press, the decimation of the local economy, the crippling of the education system, the incarceration of thousands of people.” Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, said he expected the UK government to suggest that disputes in the region should be resolved bilaterally and also stand up for the rights of oppressed people. In a passionate speech, which was critical of India and its actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Imran Hussain said the UK and other countries needed to speak up and end their silence. He told the House of Commons: “For over 70 years, the sons and daughters of Kashmir have been subjected to persecution, oppression, injustice in the most brutal manner. For over 70 years, they have been butchered, maimed and killed at the hands of an occupying Indian military operating under the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act.” Labour MP Tahir Ali called for the Indian high commissioner to the UK to be barred from Parliament because of the military occupation of Kashmir. The Birmingham Hall Green MP said action should be taken by the UK because the situation in Kashmir is “another example of the mess left by the British government in 1947”. “British parliamentarians, Indian politicians sympathetic to the Kashmiris, international observers are all denied access to the Indian-occupied Kashmir Several MPs mentioned that Pakistan’s High Commissioner Moazzam Ahmad Khan had sent them a dossier on human rights abuses in IIOJK which was an eye-opener. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/25/mps-call-for-uk-influence-to-resolve-kashmir-dispute-ban-indian-envoys-parliament-entry.html

6.    Kashmir; Sep 26 2021; "India remains in occupation of an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final disposition needs to be decided in accordance with the democratic principle of a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, as provided for under numerous resolutions of the Security Council," she said.  https://youtu.be/WPX2Gv48rDU?t=6 https://www.dawn.com/news/1648371/pakistan-hits-back-at-indian-claims-at-unga-reiterates-kashmir-not-internal-matter 

Weekly update -107;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep ,7,  2021 to Sep , 14,  2021

1.     Geelani  Burial; Aug 10 2021; Indian security forces are maintaining an armed guard around the grave of an iconic Kashmir separatist leader, amid mounting public anger over police footage of his funeral, which his family say they were barred from attending. India probes late Kashmir separatist’s family under terror lawIndia locks down Kashmir after quiet burial of separatist GeelaniObituary: Syed Ali Shah Geelani was symbol of Kashmir resistanceSyed Ali Shah Geelani: A life dedicated to Kashmir and its people The next day, his son Naseem Geelani told Al Jazeera the armed police “snatched his (Geelani’s) body and forcibly buried him” in the middle of the night and “did not allow any of us to take part in final prayers”  fresh outrage after posting videos on Twitter on Monday, showing Geelani’s body being washed, wrapped in a shroud and buried. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/8/india-kashmir-police-videos-geelani-funeral-anger

2.    Geelani funeral; Sep 10 2021; Kashmir Civitas, an international civil society and strategic advocacy organization working for right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, has depicted through an animated video the inhuman treatment meted out to the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, and desecration of his dead body by Indian forces.The video described Indian action as a serious war crime and direct violation of the Article 17 of the Geneva Conventions. In the video, Syed Ali Gilani has been described as the hero of every Kashmiri, who never bowed before the Indian oppression. In the video, people of IIOJK have been asked to massively march towards the grave of Syed Ali Gilani at Hyderpora in Srinagar, tomorrow, after Juma prayers to pay tributes to him. The march is also aimed at registering protest against the desecration of the dad body of the veteran leader by the Indian forces. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/09/animated-depiction-of-indias-inhuman-treatment-to-syed-ali-gilani.html

3.    HRs; Sep 13 2021; Pakistan has released a comprehensive dossier, exposing the scale of war crimes, human rights violations, fake encounters, false flag operations and use of rape as war tool by the Indian occupation forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Giving detail of the Indian atrocities, compiled in the 131-paged dossier, Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, the Hindutva-inspired BJP regime in India has unleashed a series of atrocities against the people in occupied territory. He said communication blockade in IIOJK continues by design to hamper international media and observers from reporting the heinous crimes being committed by the Indian occupation forces. He said the dossier contains three chapters and first one carries detail of war crimes and genocidal acts of the Indian troops; the second one exposes false flag operations in IIOJK to suppress the indigenous freedom movement while the last chapter tells that how human rights law are being openly being violated by India    https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/12/pakistan-presents-another-dossier-exposing-indian-war-crimes-in-iiojk.html

Weekly update -106;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,31,  2021 to Sep , 7,  2021

1.     Geelani Sahib passes away Sep 2021; The veteran politician was jailed for nearly 10 years after 1962 and often restricted to his home after that. Since his youth, Geelani had been a member of Jamaat-i-Islami, which was banned by the Hindu nationalist government in 2019. Last year, Geelani had resigned from his post as APHC chief, of which he had been a member since its formation in 1993 as a political arm of the anti-India movement. He was elected its chairman for life in 2003. Hurriyat Conference (Geelani) has more than 24 constituent parties, some of which have only a handful of members. Last month, the APHC had said that the 11-years-long house arrest had taken a heavy toll on Geelani's health and his condition continued to deteriorate. In a press release, a copy of which was shared by the Kashmir Media Service, the APHC said that along with general physical weakness that the veteran leader had been experiencing for some time, his chest infection was also "not satisfactorily" responding to treatment.  .  https://www.dawn.com/news/1643921/veteran-hurriyat-leader-syed-ali-geelani-passes-away-at-92

Weekly update -105;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,24,  2021 to Aug , 31,  2021

1.     Three martyred; Aug 24 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Sopore, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in PethSeer area of the town https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-sopore.html

2.    UN of Kashmir; Aug 28 2021; UN’s independent human rights experts has asked the Indian government to explain the legal basis for detention and charges against four Kashmiri journalists and closure of the allotment of office of Kashmir Times. It has also sought details on whether these actions complied with India’s obligations under international human rights law. The letter was written by the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Elina Steinerte. While the message was dated June 3, it was made public earlier this month following the expiry of the deadline of 60 days. In the letter, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Elina Steinerte, raised specific concerns about four journalists, Fahad Shah, Auqib Javeed, Sajar Gul and Qazi Shibli. They were also “deeply concerned by the alleged closure of the Kashmir Times offices which also seems to be connected to its independent and reportedly outspoken reporting in the region”. “We respectfully recall that journalism constitutes a necessary service for any society, as it provides individuals, and society as a whole, with the necessary information to allow them to develop their own thoughts and to freely draw their own conclusions and opinions (A/HRC/20/17 para 3). We note that the deprivation of liberty of any individual for exercising his/her right to freedom of expression would constitute an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, contrary to Article 9 of the Covenant,” it said.  The letter documented allegations of six cases of intimidation of Fahad Shah, editor of weekly The Kashmirwalla, between June 2017 and January 2021. Shah had been interrogated for four hours at Qazigund police station on October 3 last year after returning from a reporting trip to Punjab. The interrogating officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police allegedly warned him to “show “self- restraint” and report “cautiously” about matters related to “national security”. Before being released, he was made to sign a statement that his car, phones, and other belongings were returned without any tampering.  In July 2018, Auqib Javeed was arrested and questioned for three days over an interview with a Kashmiri separatist leader for an English newspaper. In September last year, there was an alleged escalation in the intimidatory tactics against Javeed after he published a story about police silencing several social media users by cautioning them against writing anti-government posts. As detailed in the letter, Javeed was summoned by a state government official to the city of Shergandi. On entering the premises, his phones were intercepted. Then Javeed was taken away from his friends to another room by a police officer. “During the interrogation, Mr Javeed was slapped multiple times, while officers inquired about the article he had written and accused him of publishing a fabricated story”. The police officer told him that Kashmir was “burning” because “people like [him] were spreading fake narratives”. Javeed has written for several publications, including The Wire. Sajar Gul, a freelance journalist based in North Kashmir, had received a threatening call from a local police officer after he wrote an article about demolition carried out by police without permission in February 2020. A day after the call, the same officer demolished Gul’s property and his maternal uncle’s fence. In response, Shahgund villagers pelted stones and organised a protest. Police charged Gul for rioting, criminal trespassing and assaulting a public servant. “According to the defense, the journalist was in Srinagar at the moment of the alleged protests, about 40 kilometres away from the location it took allegedly took place”. The UN experts also raised the case of Qazi Shibli, editor of The Kashmiriyat magazine, who was kept in detention and solitary confinement for nine months under the Public Safety Act. Two months after release, he was again detained for 18 days “for reporting on a fake encounter in Shopian Kashmir”. In all the instances, none of the Kashmiri journalists had access to legal representation during interrogation. The letter also referred to the closure of The Kashmir Times in October 2020 after the Jammu and Kashmir state department asked the staff to leave the premises. “According to the information we received, an eviction process establishes that a notice needs to be served to the occupant before the eviction takes place, stating valid grounds on which allotment is being cancelled with a time period of not less than seven days for the occupant to respond, according to the J&K Public Premises (Eviction) Act, Article 4. Up to this date, the offices of the Kashmir Times remain closed and no opportunity to appeal the decision has been granted”. The UN experts also informed that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention might also transmit these cases through the usual procedure “to render an opinion on whether the deprivation of liberty was arbitrary or not”. https://thewire.in/media/un-rights-experts-ask-india-to-explain-intimidation-of-4-jk-scribes-closure-of-kashmir-times

3.    DG ISPSR Press conference; Aug 27 2021; cost of the terrorism activities emanating from Afghanistan in Pakistan role of India and RAW https://youtu.be/945i8WIokSg

4.     

Weekly update -104;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,17,  2021 to Aug , 24,  2021

1.     Youth martyred; Aug, 21 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth, identified as Musaib Mushtaq and Muzamil Ahmed Rathar, during a cordon and search operation at Khrew in Pampore area of the district.  . https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/20/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-pulwama.html

2.    Three martyred; Aug 22 2021;  Three In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, taking the number of the slain youth in the territory to six since Thursday .The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation at Nagbarean in Tral area of the district  The troops martyred two youth and destroyed a residential house during a similar operation in Khrew area of the same district, yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/21/3-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-reaches-6.htmlWeekly update -103;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,10,  2021 to Aug , 17,  2021

1.     India stifles protest; Aug 13 2021; ON THE MORNINGof October 28, 2020, rights activist Parveena Ahanger was startled by the sound of revving engines outside her home in Srinagar, the biggest city in Indian-administered Kashmir. She closed the Quran she was reading from and peeked through a window; there were nearly a dozen armored vehicles and dozens of police personnel surrounding her house. Some plainclothes officers came inside and ordered Ahanger to shut all the windows and lock all the doors. It was a raid by India’s counterterrorism task force: the National Investigation Agency, or NIA. Ahanger is the chair of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, a collective known as APDP that she founded in 1994 — four years after her teenage son was arrested by Indian armed forces then disappeared. During the raid, NIA officials confiscated the cellphones of her entire family. The agents later drove Ahanger to her office in Hyderpora, on the outskirts of Srinagar, where they seized documents and hard drives. That same day, the NIA also raided the offices and homes of several journalists and other nonprofit groups. Among the targets was the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, or JKCCS — a group that documents human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir — and the home of its program coordinator. At both of those locations, too, NIA officials confiscated electronic gadgets and seized several documents. The raids were an escalation in the Indian government’s crackdowns on rights activists, journalists, politicians, and civilians who express dissent and views critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. Just a few days before revoking Kashmir’s special status, the Indian government amended a controversial anti-terror law called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act to make it more stringent, allowing the government to jail for six months, without trial or bail, anyone arrested under this law. Over the last couple years, the police have invoked UAPA frequently to restrain civil liberties. After the raids last October, the NIA said it was acting on information that groups had been using funding from abroad “for secessionist and terrorist activities” in Kashmir, invoking the UAPA. The NIA brought charges against the JKCCS under UAPA, claiming to have “credible information” the organization was involved in secessionist activities and said the investigation was ongoing.  The raids had the effect of stifling the only two groups documenting human rights abuses in the region, whose work has been cited by the United Nations. “These raids are meant to intimidate Human Rights Defenders, cast a chilling effect on others and ensure that no information or narrative that contests the discourse of the Indian state is available, either for discussions in India or outside,” Vrinda Grover, a human rights activist and lawyer based in New Delhi, told The Intercept. “Criminal law is being increasingly used to demonise and criminalise human rights work.” FOR YEARS, the APDP and the JKCCS have played a leading role in documenting abuses committed by Indian security forces in Kashmir, including surveillance, disappearances, and violence, as well as organizing locally to bring attention to these abuses. In 2004, Ahanger began convening monthly silent protests in Srinagar, where dozens of women and men would hold signs asking, “Where are Our Loved Ones?” Their family members, the protesters said, had been subjected to enforced disappearance by Indian armed forces. But the last time they gathered was on July 10, 2019: a few weeks before the Indian government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s quasi-autonomous status. Members of the APDP collective decided they could no longer meet publicly. “We were scared because of the terror they spread,” Ahanger said. “People were being arrested. In October 2019, APDP published a report on the use of pellet guns on protesters during a 2016 civilian uprising; the report included testimonies from people who had lost their eyesight as a result. Three months later, the collective released a report detailing human rights violations in the region during four months of lockdown since the revocation of Kashmir’s special status. Since then, the APDP has gone silent out of fear of retaliation by Indian authorities — a fear that was exacerbated by last year’s raid. The JKCCS, for its part, was deeply involved in documenting abuses that appeared in a 2018 U.N. Human Rights report that for the first time called for an inquiry into the large-scale violations of rights in Kashmir. The report had stated that in Kashmir “accountability for violations committed by members of the Indian security forces remains virtually non-existent.” The last report JKCCS released was in August 2020, a year after the Indian government imposed a “digital siege” in Kashmir. The report detailed the costs and consequences of the communication blockade in the disputed region. JKCCS president and human rights lawyer Parvez Imroz said the revocation of Kashmir’s special status and the arrests that followed created a climate of fear. “We had no information about anyone, but months later we got to know we were on the surveillance and no-flying lists,” Imroz added. “We have been banned from traveling since 2019. That was one way of pressurizing us to not do our work.” THE RAMPANT use of the controversial UAPA has led to an environment where people resort to self-censorship or refrain from going against the interests of the government. During UAPA prosecutions, the court relies on police documents to establish the guilt of the accused, giving police outsized power. The law has the effect of branding people charged under the law as terrorists — regardless of whether the government secures a conviction against them. “Under UAPA, the theory of separation of powers has been completely turned on its head. Police and the executive have become powerful and the judiciary is not doing the checks and balances,” said Habeel Iqbal, a lawyer based in Kashmir. He pointed to a 2019 ruling by the Indian Supreme Court reversing a lower court decision to grant bail to someone charged under UAPA to note that “the Supreme Court in a recent Judgment gave more teeth to this dreadful law and tied the hands of the High Courts and lower Courts in matters of bail. Increased use of UAPA also shows how paranoid the state has become.” In the case of the JKCCS, the NIA brought charges under the UAPA but took no further action to prosecute the case — yet the government may have already achieved its objective. “When the NIA raided our office, they seized our gadgets and documents. They disconnected us from our friends and contacts. For a long time, we were not in touch with anybody,” said Imroz. “And that finally led to a situation where we felt that [the NIA] wanted to silence everyone.” The NIA, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Intercept, has not released any evidence in support of its claim that the groups it raided were linked to terror financing networks. The JKCCS says it is funded locally, while the APDP has received funding from the U.N. Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. “We receive funds through the U.N. grant only,” said an APDP staff member, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal by Indian officials. “They conducted the raid to create pressure on us. They also wanted to know the kind of victims we help through our funds.” Ahanger said she thought the real reason the NIA targeted her collective was their documentation of human rights abuses by Indian armed forces. “We have been able to work with international organizations like the U.N., Rafto Foundation” — a Norwegian human rights organization that recognized Ahanger and Imroz for their work in Kashmir in 2017 — “and other international organizations who have built pressure on the Indian government,” she told The Intercept. The Indian government continues to weaponize the UAPA against dissenters. Last year, 16-year-old Athar Mushtaq was killed in an alleged gun battle in Srinagar, and the police buried him in Sonamarg, a three-hour drive from his home. His father, Mushtaq Ahmad, battled for several weeks to get his son’s body and bury him near his home. In February, the police filed charges against him and other family members under UAPA. In May 2021, Kashmiri politician and separatist leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai died of Covid-19 at a hospital in Jammu during his imprisonment. At his funeral, less than two dozen attendees, including his two sons, raised pro-freedom slogans. A few days later, Sehrai’s sons were arrested under UAPA. FOLLOWING THE NIA raids, the JKCCS and APDP were not able to work as freely as before. The fear of reprisal pushed the two groups into dormancy.“There were threats. There were raids at the houses of our colleagues. Then we decided that until this case is resolved, we would not be able to work properly,” said Imroz. After the NIA raided JKCCS’s office, many of its volunteers stopped going to the office. “People are scared of coming to us. Many journalists are also scared to come to us for comments and reports,” Imroz said. “Fear has been used as a weapon, and the government has been successful in that.” Ahanger believes the government is “trying to suffocate every space that exists in Kashmir. It is not just rights groups, they are trying to choke every space.” https://theintercept.com/2021/07/26/india-kashmir-human-rights-nia/

2.    Youth martyred; Aug 13 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth and injured two civilians in Kulgam district, today. the youth was killed after the troops blasted a four-storey building by using chemical substance during a cordon and search operation in Mirbazar area of the district. Two injured civilians were identified as Sahil Yaqoob Butt (25) and Shahid Farooq Sheikh (22). Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the same area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-injure-two-civilians-in-iiojk.html 

Weekly update -101;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,3,  2021 to Aug , 10,  2021

1.     One martyred: Aug., 4, 2021:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Bandipora district. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops killed the youth during a cordon and search operation at Chandaji area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/03/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-bandpora.html

2.    One martyred; Aug 7 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Budgam district. The youth was killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Manchowa area of the district today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/07/indian-troops-martyr-a-kashmiri-youth-in-budgam.html

 

Weekly update -100;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug ,2,  2021 to Aug , 9,  2021

1.       Three martyred; Aug,1, 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiris in Pulwama and Bandipora districts, today. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation in Nagberan-Tarsar area of Pulwama district. The operation continued till last reports came in. The troops martyred a 50-year-old civilian identified as Muhammad Abdullah at an army camp in Tarbal area of Bandipore district during custody. The death of the man sparked protest in Bagroor area prompting the occupation authorities to snap the mobile service. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/31/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiris-in-iiojk.html

2.    July cost; Aug 2 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred thirty seven (37) Kashmiris including two women during the month of July 2021. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, of those eight were killed by the troops in fake encounters or in custody. The killing rendered two women widowed and seven (7) children orphaned in July. During the month, twenty eight (28) people including media men were critically injured after Indian troops and police personnel used brute force on peaceful protesters in the territory. The report maintained that at least fifty seven (57) civilians, mostly youth, political activists, a religious scholar and a woman, were arrested; several of them were booked under black law Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Preventive) Act (UAPA). The troops also damaged ten (10) houses during at least 219 cordon and search operations in the month, the report added. The report pointed out that Indian troops martyred 105 Kashmiris including top APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai during the first seven months of this year in the territory. The report maintained that the killing by the troops during the period rendered six (6) women widowed and eighteen (18) children orphaned. The troops damaged over thirty nine (39) houses and structures and molested or disgraced twelve (12) women and arrested 574 persons including students and youth during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory.During the period, 361 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force, bullets and pellets on peaceful demonstrators by Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel in the territory, the report said. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/01/indian-troops-martyred-37-kashmiris-in-july.html

Weekly update -99;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  July ,29,  2021 to July , 26,  2021

1.      Human rights ; July 23 2021;In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops have upped the ante against people of Kashmir and in their continued state terrorism martyred 42 persons including two women and a young boy during past two months. According to Kashmir Media Service’s research section, in past 20 days of July 135 cordon and search operations were staged in which 24 youth and two women were martyred while in last month (June ) 152 cordon and search operations were conducted in which sixteen (16) Kashmiris were martyred. The report said that over 100 Kashmiri youth were arrested by Indian police in last 50 days. During the period, twenty eight (28) Indian troops and police personnel were killed and forty one (41) were injured in different incidents. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/22/indian-troops-martyr-42-persons-in-iiojk-since-june.html

2.    Two martyred; July 24, 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Warpora area of the town. Bodies of the youth were recovered from the debris of the two residential houses destroyed by the troops with chemical explosive material.The occupation authorities suspended internet services in Sopore to prevent people from sharing information about the prevailing situation in the town. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-sopore.html

3.    HRs ; July 25, 2021; During his visit next week to New Delhi, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise concerns around human rights in India, according to a U.S. official. Mr. Blinken is expected to arrive in New Delhi late on July 27 and will meet with his counterpart S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (according to the U.S. version of his schedule).“And with respect to the human rights and democracy question, yes, you’re right; I will tell you that we will raise it, and we will continue that conversation, because we firmly believe that we have more values in common on those fronts than we don’t,” Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson told reporters on Friday, when asked how important human rights were to the meeting agenda https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-will-raise-human-rights-issues-with-new-delhi-us-official/article35503512.ece

4.    Three martyred; July 25 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Bandipora distinct, today, taking the number of slain youth to five since yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-bandipora.html

5.    One martyred; July 25 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam distinct. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/25/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam.html

6.       

 

Weekly update -98;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  July ,13,  2021 to July , 19,  2021

1.      Three youth martyred; July 15 2021;In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama town. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in New Colony area of the town. The troops destroyed two houses during the operation. Bodies of the youth were recovered from the debris of the destroyed houses. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/14/three-youth-martyred-in-pulwama.html

2.    Two martyred; July 16 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth, identified as Irfan and Bilal Ahmad, were killed inside a house, which was destroyed by Indian troops and paramilitary forces, using chemical explosives during a cordon and search operation in Danmar Eidgah area of the city, today https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/16/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk.html

3.    Religious freedom; July 7 2021; Officials in Indian-administrated Kashmir have barred the sacrifice of animals during the upcoming holiday of  Eid al-Adha, An order issued Thursday said the "illegal killing/sacrifices of cows/calves, camels & other animals” must be stopped, citing animal welfare laws. It is unclear why the government issued a near total ban on sacrificing animals. Generally, cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, and slaughtering them or eating beef is illegal or restricted across much of the country. Despite the ban on cow slaughter in Kashmir, beef is widely available across much of the Muslim-majority areas. Muslims traditionally mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice by offering special prayers and slaughtering livestock, usually a goat, sheep, a cow or a camel, to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith. The meat of the sacrificed animals is shared among family and friends and poor people who cannot afford to sacrifice animals.   https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/india-bans-muslim-animal-sacrifices-in-kashmir-on-eid-al-adha

4.       

 

Weekly update -97;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  July ,6,  2021 to July , 12,  2021

1.    Youth martyred; July 7 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Handwara district, today. The youth was killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Kralgund Handwara area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/07/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-handwara.html

2.    Four Youth martyred: July 8 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops  in their fresh act of state terrorism , martyred four more Kashmiri youth in two districts of the territory, today. The troops killed two youth each during cordon and search operations in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir on Thursday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/08/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-iiojk.html

3.    Five martyred; July 9 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops during a cordon and search  operation martyred one more youth in Rajouri, raising the toll to five in one day in the territory. The troops killed the fifth youth in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district during an ongoing operation which entered its 10 day, today. Indian army claimed that the youth was killed during an encounter, which also left an Indian soldier dead and two others including a JCO injured. It said, the slain soldier has been identified as Sepoy Yashwant Reddy while the injured as Naib Subedar Srijith of 17 Madras and Nk Santosh of 9 Para. Earlier, Indian troops martyred four Kashmiri youth in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir, today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/08/five-youth-martyred-indian-soldier-killed-jco-injured-in-iiojk.html

4.    Youth martyred; July 10 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district, today, taking the toll to six in the territory since yesterday.The troops martyred the youth during an ongoing cordon and search operation in Sunderbani area of the district. The troops martyred one youth in the same area and four others in Pulwama and Kulgam districts, yesterday. Three Indian soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer have been killed in attacks in Sunderbani during the operation, which is going on since on June 29. The troops also launched similar operations in Kulgam and Samba districts. The occupation authorities suspended internet services in Kulgam and Pulwama districts. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/09/troops-martyr-another-youth-in-iiojk-toll-reaches-6.html

5.    Three youth martyred: July 12 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today, raising the number of slain youth in the territory to eight since Thursday.The troops martyred these youth during a cordon and search operation at Kawarigam in Achabal area of the district. Indian forces’ personnel beat up and injured a journalist, Shah Junaid, when he was performing his professional duties during the CASO https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/10/3-more-kashmiri-youth-martyred-toll-reaches-9-since-thursday.html

6.    Woman killed; July 11 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a 28-year-old woman was killed on Saturday evening after she was deliberately hit by an Indian Army vehicle in Yaripora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. An official told media that a woman, identified as Rohi Jan, 29, wife of Aabid Ahmad of Kharibarari village of Shopian, was hit by an Army vehicle at Kaddar Kulgam on Saturday evening. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/10/woman-dies-after-hit-by-indian-army-vehicle-in-kulgam.html

 

 

 

 

Weekly update -96;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  June ,29,  2021 to July , 5, 2021

1.    Young man martyred; June 29 2021;   In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth was killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Parimpora of the city. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/28/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.html

2.    UN and Human rights violations against children; June 30 2021; UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern over the “grave violations” against children in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and called upon the government to take preventive measures to protect children, including by ending the use of pellets against them, The call was made by the UN chief in the annual report on Children and Armed Conflict, which was launched last week by his Special Representative on the subject, Virginia Gamba.  “I remain concerned by grave violations against children in Jammu and Kashmir and call upon the Government to take preventive measures to protect children, including by ending the use of pellets against children, ensuring that children are not associated in any way to security forces, and endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration and the Vancouver Principles,” the secretary-general said in the report. “I am alarmed at the detention and torture of children and concerned by the military use of schools,” he said, noting that seven schools were used for four months by Indian security forces. “I urge the (Indian) Government to ensure that children are detained as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, and to prevent all forms of ill-treatment in detention,” the secretary-general added. “I also urge the (Indian) Government to ensure the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, to address the use of children for illegal activities and the situation of detained children*.” According to the UN report, a total of 39 children (33 boys, 6 girl) were killed and maimed (9 killed and 30 maimed by pellet guns) and several casualties in other actions, including 13 in crossfire and shelling across the line of control. “There is no place for children in conflict, and we must not allow conflict to trample on the rights of children”, he said. More than 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, were killed in “fake encounters” and staged “cordon-and-search” operations.

3.    750 Kashmiris were critically injured, while 2,770 innocent Kashmiris were arbitrarily detained, and 922 houses destroyed as part of collective punishment inflicted on the Kashmiri communities.In a particularly horrifying incident, the Pakistani envoy said, a gut-wrenching picture of a three-year-old Kashmiri boy sitting on the body of his grandfather (Muhammad Bashir) killed by Indian forces went viral on the internet, drawing ire from social media and civil society. The three-year-old boy was shown sitting on top of his motionless grandfather as he cried. https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/608425-UN-chief-urges-India-to-end-atrocities-against-Kashmiri-children

4.    Three youth martyred; July  2021;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Chimmer area of the district https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/30/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam.html

Weekly update -94;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  June ,15,  2021 to June , 21, 2021

1.    Broken promises; June 17,2021; if promises are made to be broken, then Kashmir may be summoned to prove the treacherous proposition. Broken promises haunt Kashmir's history, and explain its tragedy. I will confine myself to the last century as a concession to the shortness of life. Under the 1846 Treaty of Amritsar, Great Britain sold Kashmir and its then 2 million people to a Sikh ruler, Gulab Singh, like sheep and cattle. The strutting British Empire valued Kashmiris every bit as much as it did the Irish then undergoing the Potato famine, which many in New York condemn as a British genocide. But that was of little solace to their South Asian counterparts. Kashmir was a princely state under Gulab Singh and his successors, Ranbir Singh, Partap Singh, and Hari Singh. A princely state was not directly ruled by the British raj like India, but was subject only to British dictation over matters of defense and foreign policy. Maharaja Hari Singh, a Hindu, began his princely rule over Kashmir in 1925. The people of the land were predominantly Muslim, but lived a warm coexistence with Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. Their understanding of Islam had taught them mutual respect, harmony, and ecumenism. The Maharaja inherited a regime earmarked by brutal repression of Muslims. Heavy taxation, discriminatory laws, forced labor, and the absence of representation in services and lack of educational facilities were chief grievances. The slaughtering of a cow was a capital crime and mosques were controlled by the state. All dissent or political protest was brutally suppressed. For instance, the Maharaja summarily drowned state silk factory workers in 1924 for the audacity of demanding higher wages than the likes of Oliver Twist. Muslims who petitioned British Viceroy Lord Reading to correct or ameliorate their grievances during his 1924 visit were sent into exile and their properties confiscated. The British then appointed a commission headed by B.J. Clancy to investigate the grievances. It confirmed their authenticity, recommended remedial measures, which were largely neglected by the Maharaja. A Kashmiri national movement was galvanized in 1931 when a state factotum forbade the Imam to deliver a sermon before the customary Friday prayer. Mr. Abdul Qadeer answered with a fiery speech denouncing the Maharaja's anti-Islamic injunctions.  Muslims rallied to protest his arrest, and 22 were slaughtered when the police opened fire. The British, predictably, did nothing. After all, it was difficult to distinguish the Maharaja's savagery from the mass killings of Indians by the British in 1919, known as Amritsar massacre. I would argue that this British callousness or aloofness was a pre-partition broken promise number one. As Rudyard Kipling had versified to the world in 1899, the British Empire and suzerainties had been undertaken to discharge the "White Man's burden" of civilizing backward races or religions.  But in Kashmir, it had apostatized from its promise and abandoned Muslims to the law of the jungle. With the lapse of British paramountcy on August 15, 1947, broken promises over Kashmir came not like single spies but in battalions, to borrow from Hamlet. Princely states enjoyed three options: accession to India, accession to Pakistan, or independence. But the choice, according to India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and tacitly endorsed by the British was to be made by popular referendum in cases where the creed of the ruler varied from the religion of the majority. That fundamental democratic principle had been sternly applied by Nehru with military means in Hyderabad and Junagadh where the rulers were Muslim but their inhabitants largely Hindu. Kashmir presented a converse case: the Maharaja was Hindu but the majority subscribed to Islam. When paramountcy lapsed in Kashmir, the Maharaja's despotic regime was tottering.  An indigenous rebellion was in full swing. Instead of submitting to a referendum, Maharaja’s vaulting and mean-spirited ambition prompted a plea to the Indian army for intervention. Nehru responded with alacrity on October 27, 1947, and intrigued to generate a bogus instrument of Kashmiri accession to India to justify its aggression.  British scholar Alistair Lamb has persuasively exposed the forgery, a first cousin to the Tzar's Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Indigenous Kashmiris fought Indian troops to a standstill. Contemporaneously, India's head of state, Lord Mountbatten, officially promised a Kashmiri plebiscite in plain language over which only Mr. Pickwick might puzzle: "[I] n consistence with their policy that in the case of any state where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state. It is my government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invaders, the question of the state's accession should be settled by a reference to the people." India then raced to the United Nations Security Council on January 1, 1948, and championed a pair of resolutions on August 13, 1948 and January 5, 1949 that prescribed a self-determination vote for Kashmiris on the heels of United Nations supervised demilitarization. Pakistan eagerly endorsed that solution to Kashmir's disputed territory. India, however, was soon undeceived of its delusions over Kashmir's political yearning. Recognizing that its people would never freely vote accession to India, it contrived excuse after excuse to frustrate a plebiscite. When the United Nations proposed arbitration, a reference to the World Court, or any other method of resolving minor demilitarization quarrels, India nixed them all. After a few years, it dropped all pretense of acceding to a referendum by unilaterally proclaiming its annexation of Kashmir. India's proclamation has never been accepted by the United Nations, which continues to list Kashmir as disputed territory and subject to the Security Council's self-determination resolutions. When Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations was asked to clarify the position of the UN on Kashmir soon after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by the Government of India, he said on August 8, 2019, “The position of the United Nations on this region is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions.” Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR is correct when he said, “Indian action of 5 August 2019 in Kashmir has consequences at home, in the neighbourhood and at the international level. This action is a breach of the terms of the Instrument of Accession and under the UN template on Kashmir India has loaded upon itself a very grave offence against the United Nations and  the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to self-determination”. Broken promises two, three, and four thus represent India's reneging on its Kashmir plebiscite pledges made by Lord Mountbatten, Prime Minister Nehru and Indian delegate to the United Nations. Broken promise number five can be laid at the feet of the Security Council which has never exerted any moral or other clout to even nudge India towards compliance with its resolutions. It seems that the Security Council has honored India's indefensible defense of its Kashmir broken promises because of its muscular military, nuclear and economic profile and hegemony in South Asia. Broken promises number six, seven, and eight came in 1966, 1972, and 1999. At Tashkent following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, promises were made by India to negotiate seriously over Kashmiri sovereignty. But nothing was done. At Simla, following a 1971 war over Bangladesh, India again agreed to talk seriously about Kashmir. But again the promise was honored in the breach, not the observance. During a brief honeymoon between India and Pakistan at Lahore in 1999, India once more promised genuine negotiations over Kashmir, and once more betrayed its pledge by instantly insisting that India's claim of sovereignty over Kashmir would never be placed on the negotiating table. When President Donald Trump offered his office of mediation on July 23, 2019 to resolve the Kashmir dispute, S. Jaishankar, Indian foreign minister said on August 2, 2019 that any discussion on Kashmir will only be conducted with Pakistan and only bilaterally. Then Jaishanker broke the promise number nine when he told Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi just two weeks later on August 13, 2019 that Kashmir was an internal matter of India. The train of broken promises over Kashmir might be forgiven if the consequences were innocuous or inconsequential. But I submit the opposite is the case. India exerts an iron-fisted rule over Kashmir that would stir the heart of Genghis Khan. With approximately 900,000 military and paramilitary troops in the territory, gruesome human rights violations are perpetrated with impunity on a scale that makes East Timor under Suharto seem tea party. Every human rights group that has surveyed the grim Kashmir landscape, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, has been shocked and horrified by the daily atrocities against the people of Kashmir. Ditto for the annual human rights country reports of the U.S. State Department To hide its human rights inferno in Kashmir, India prohibits world parliamentarians, international broadcasts or unchaperoned international electronic media. With no heart-clutching pictures in the living rooms of the United States and the European Union, no moral clamor has arisen to do something to relieve the horrors of millions of Kashmiris.  But griping at the unfairness of the world is as otiose as shouting at the weather. The people of Kashmir are not vengeful. Charity and magnanimity would be their loadstars if self-determination were honored despite so many betrayals.  Let us hope that the last promise over Kashmir has been broken. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the Secretary general, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435  or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/kashmir-a-chain-of-broken-promises

 

2.    Youth martyred l June 17 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter in Srinagar. The youth was martyred during a cordon and search operation launched by the troops in Wagoora area of Srinagar, last night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/16/troops-cordon-nowgam-in-outskirts-of-srinagar.html

3.    Modi on J&K; June 20 202l;a s many as 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including four former chief ministers of the erstwhile State, have been invited for a meeting that will be chaired by Prime Minister   Modi in New Delhi on June 24, officials said on Saturday.  Among those invited are four former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. Four former deputy chief ministers of the erstwhile State — Congress leader Tara Chand, People's Conference leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig, and BJP leaders Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta — too have been invited to the meet. In addition, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) chief Altaf Bukhari, Sajjad Lone of the People's Conference, J-K Congress head G A Mir, BJP's Ravidner Raina, and Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh have been invited to the meeting.The meeting — the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and its bifurcation into Union Territories in August 2019 — is likely to be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders. When contacted, Omar Abdullah said that he had received an invitation and would go along the direction of the party chief. Sources in the National Conference said that over the next few days, the senior Abdullah will be holding consultations with party leaders. The Political Affairs Committee of the PDP would also be meeting on Sunday to take a decision about the talks. Source The Hindu

4.    Rape as an instrument of war; June 20 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, women are the worst victims of Indian forces’ barbarities as India is using rape as a weapon of war to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom struggle. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, today, revealed that Indian forces’ personnel have sexually assaulted over 11,240 women during the past three decades in the occupied territory. It said India is deliberately targeting women in IIOJK to humiliate and terrorize the Kashmiris. The report pointed out that Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double rape and murder, and rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua depict the brutal face of Indian forces. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/19/india-using-rape-as-a-tool-to-suppress-kashmiris-struggle-2.html

 

Weekly update -93;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  June ,7,  2021 to June , 15, 2021

1.    Chotta Bazaar massacre:  June , 2021:  On June 11, 1991, the Indian paramilitary CRPF troops after an alleged clash with unknown attackers at Zainakadal in the city went berserk, and opened indiscriminate firing with their automatic weapons all the way from their camp at Syed Mansoor to the densely populated downtown area of Srinagar, Chotta Bazaar.The report further said that with blood in their eyes, the troops barged into the shops, gathered people outside on the streets and killed them randomly. Four people were shot in a motor mechanics’ workshop and four others were shot outside a medical college. Some rickshaw drivers and bystanders were also shot by the troops. The indiscriminate firing by the forces’ personnel took a massive toll of 32 lives of innocent civilians. Around 22 persons were also critically injured in the incident. The bullets hit shopkeepers, passerby, a 75-year old woman and a child of ten years age. According to the reports published in The Kashmir Times next day, the entire area from where the dead bodies were picked and brought to the police control room by 8 pm bore blood stains, the KMS report added.It pointed out that this blood curdling incident still causes a deep stir inside the hearts of the scores of bereaved families whose kiths and kins were massacred. Even Amnesty International then expressed its serious concern on the horrific incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter, the report said. It maintained that, 30 years on but memories of Chotta Bazaar massacre are still fresh in the Kashmiris’ minds and the victims are still awaiting justice.The report said that history of IIOJK is littered with many Chotta Bazaar like carnages as Indian troops have carried out dozens of massacres in IIOJK since 1990. The aim of committing Chotta Bazaar like carnages is to instill fear among the Kashmiris, it added.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/10/chotta-bazaar-incident-one-of-bloodiest-massacres-in-iiojk.html

2.    Three martyred; June 3 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, three persons were martyred by the random firing of Indian forces’ personnel at Aarampora in Sopore town, today. The incident triggered a forceful anti-India protest in the area, mostly participated by women. The Indian police resorted to firing in a vindictive action after two of their personnel were killed and three others including an assistant-sub-inspector injured in an attack by unknown persons. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom slogans and denounced the killings by Indian police. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/12/unknown-gunmen-attack-indian-police-in-sopore-civilian-injured.html

 

Weekly update -92;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  June ,1,  2021 to June , 7, 2021

1.    Youth suicide: Jun., 2, 2021: Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a last video message from a student, Shoib Bashir, who died by suicide on Saturday, has drawn attention to the miserable plight of a group of government school teachers in the territory. Shoib Bashir, the son of a government school teacher, was forced to end his life by his failure to pay the fees for his MA course in psychology.“The only reason behind my suicide is non-payment of salary to my father for last over two years. It has made our life pathetic beyond words,” Shoaib Bashir is heard saying in the video. His father, Bashir Ahmad Mir, was not paid since March 2019. The authorities had blocked his salary citing a police verification report. The 51-year-old teacher was arrested in 1990s on the charges of supporting the freedom movement. A local court later acquitted him of all charges. The CID verification report contains no adverse remarks against Bashir Mir. The report concludes that “he is presently silent and busy with his job”. “A court has also issued orders asking that wages be released,” Shoib Bashir’s father said. Around 140 teachers in IIOJK have not received salary since March 2019. All of them have blamed the former Director of School Education Younis Malik, who was transferred a few months ago. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/06/01/in-video-before-suicide-kashmiri-student-highlights-salary-denial-to-teachers/

2.    UN to India: June 6 2021; United Nations (UN) in a letter from its special rapporteurs has requested a response from the Government of India over a series of allegations in the cases concerning arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and ill-treatment committed against three men from Kashmir.“These allegations are part of what appears to be an ongoing pattern of serious violations of human rights by police, army, security agencies and the judiciary in the Jammu and Kashmir region, warrants in our view the most serious attention on the part of the highest authorities”, mentioned the letter addressed to the Indian government.The letter highlighted the cases of Waheed Para, Irfan Ahmad Dar, and Naseer Ahmad Wani.  Waheed Para, a political and social activist, who is also a member of ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’ was arrested on November 25 2020, and has remained under detention since then. According to the letter, Para had participated in a closed virtual meeting with the UN on 30 July 2020. In the meeting, he raised concerns over the Government of India’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir, its treatment of Muslim minorities, and the recent border tensions with China. Following his interaction, he started receiving threats from officials with the NIA. They indicated that he was inviting trouble by engaging in such events. He was given an ultimatum that if he did not stop speaking out about the Government of India, action would be taken against him. “He was subject to abusive interrogations after his arrest, which lasted from 10 to 12 hours at a time and questioned about his participation at the above-mentioned event where he interacted with UN Security Council members. He was held in a dark underground cell at subzero temperature, was deprived of sleep, kicked, slapped, beaten with rods, stripped naked and hung upside down. His ill-treatment was recorded. Mr. Para was examined by a government doctor three times since his arrest last November and three times by a psychiatrist. He requested medication for insomnia and anxiety.”, mentioned the letter. The special rapporteurs also mentioned, “Our concern in the case of Mr. Waheed Para is heightened by the fact that his arrest and detention appear to be linked to his interaction with UN Security Council members, which would amount to acts of reprisals for such cooperation.” Irfan Ahmed Dar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, was arrested near his residence in Sopore area of northern Kashmir by Jammu and Kashmir Police Special Operations Group (SOG) on 15 September 2020. He was detained without a warrant. SOG raided his house, his family members were beaten and their house was vandalized. On 16 September 2020, Dar’s family received news that he died. “The police claimed that Mr. Ahmad Dar was killed while he was trying to escape from their custody. However, while performing their last rites on his body, it was found that his facial bones had been fractured, his front teeth were broken and his head appeared to have bruises of blunt force trauma.”, the letter said. On 29 November 2019, 19-year-old Naseer Ahmed Wani’s house was raised by a team of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (44 RR). They allegedly claimed that his phone was used by militants.  While vandalizing Wani’s house, “The army personnel assembled all the women in a single room and asked their names, took their photographs and requested everyone to handover their mobile phones. They were threatened that if they did not comply, they would be stripped naked”, mentioned the letter. He was taken away by the soldiers. The next evening, the same army officers visited Wani’s house and told his family that there was no need to visit the police station or to ‘initiate any legal proceedings’ as they released Wani. He never returned home and his whereabouts are unknown ever since. According to the letter, his family was threatened “not to make any further enquiries or take legal action.” Seeking out clarifications into the allegations made about the ill-treatment of three Kashmiri men, the letter said, “It is of particular concern that no investigation into the allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have yet to be conducted in an independent, impartial, prompt, effective, thorough and transparent manner in accordance with the human rights obligations of India.” Under the mandates provided to special rapporteurs by the Human Rights Council, they seek observations from the Government on India in the matters of: ‘fate and current whereabouts of Mr. Naseer Ahmad Wani’, ‘inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of Mr. Waheed Para, Mr. Irfan Ahmad Dar, Mr. Naseer Ahmad Wani’, ‘detailed information about the factual and legal grounds for the arrests and continued detention of Mr. Waheed Para and Mr. Dar’ and ‘factual basis justifying the recourse to terrorism related charges levied against Mr. Waheed Para’. “If no such measures have been taken, please explain how this is compatible with the international human rights obligations of India,” said the letter. Concluding the matter, the special rapporteurs of the UN said: “These allegations are part of what appears to be an ongoing pattern of serious violations of human rights by police, army, security agencies and the judiciary in the Jammu and Kashmir region, warrants in our view the most serious attention on the part of the highest authorities. In this regard, we may publicly express our concerns in the near future, as we believe that the wider public should be informed about the implications of these allegations on the exercise and enjoyment of their human rights.”“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not respond to a request for a comment, or for confirmation that it has received the letter”, as reported by The Hindu. https://www.siasat.com/un-seeks-indian-govts-response-on-human-rights-violations-in-kashmir-2145382/

 

 

Weekly update -91;- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  May ,25,  2021 to May , 31, 2021

1.    Youth martyred; may 29,2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Ganowpora area of the district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/28/indian-troops-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/

2.    Rape in IOK; May 30 2021;  All Parties Hurriyat Conference and other Hurriyat leaders and organizations  expressed solidarity with the family of Aasiya and Neelofar of Shopian on their 12th martyrdom anniversary. Aasiya and Neelofar were abducted by Indian men in uniform on May 29 in 2009, gang-raped and subsequently killed in custody.The APHC spokesman in a statement in Srinagar said, the ruthless rape and murder of Aasiya and Neelofar, like other hundreds of such cases, remains a black stigma on the face of Indian judiciary and military system which have never been fair to the subjugated people of Kashmir. A woman, who was injured in a blast in Handwara area of Kupwara district on Wednesday, succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Srinagar, today. KMS https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/29/india-using-rape-of-kashmiri-women-as-a-weapon-of-war/

Weekly update -90- Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  May ,18,  2021 to May , 24, 2021

1.    Two youth martyred; may 17 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continuing acts of state terrorism martyred two more youth in Khonmoh area of Srinagar today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/17/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-srinagar-4/

2.    Fake Encounters; may 18 021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the residents of Khonmoh in Srinagar have categorically refuted the Indian military authorities’ claim that the two youth martyred in the area, today, were militants killed in an encounter. The residents told the media that it was a clear case of fake encounter as has been a practice of the Indian troops of killing the Kashmiri youth so far. The gunshot wounds on the dead bodies including on legs and feet also indicated that it was not a firefight. It appears that the youth have tried to flee and were shot in the legs and after getting hold of them they were killed. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/17/two-martyred-youth-in-khonmoh-were-killed-in-fake-encounter/

3.    Kashmir struggle: May, 23, 2021: The sacrifices of the people of Kashmir will not go in vain byDr. Ghulam Nabi Fai; In the annals of history, nations and peoples are often blessed with leaders, guides and activists who play singular roles providing leadership that transcends inspiration and casts a lasting impact on these societies. May 21, 1990 was the day when the Indian occupation forces assassinated an illustrious Kashmiri freedom‑fighter, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq along with 70 mourners when the army resorted to firing on his funeral procession while it was on its way to Martyrs Cemetery. Twenty-two years later, on May 21, 2002, Indian forces also killed Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone, leader of All Parties Hurriyet Conference who had come to Martyr’s cemetery to pay homage to the Kashmiri martyrs, including Mirwaiz Sahib who gave their last full measure of devotion in unflagging pursuit of a just and noble cause. May 21 will remain embedded in the history of Kashmir and in the hearts and minds of millions of Kashmiris as the day of supreme sacrifice. While our martyrs earned a choice place in the Hereafter, the Indian occupation forces earned the dubious honor of creating more martyrs ‑ over 100,000 to‑date and the count goes on. These martyrs include infants, women, and the old; they are common Kashmiris as well as outstanding scholars and leaders.In many ways, Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib were yet other martyrs to the cause, another addition to the list of martyrs of Kashmir being compiled since 1931 when our people first raised their voice against tyranny and alien occupation. When in 1990 the winds of change blew across the world, destroying dictatorships and occupations, the people of Kashmir also renewed their struggle. During our period of quiet the world had forgotten us. Now, they were filled with hope and longing of a new dawn. It was at this crucial juncture that the Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib emerged to present a much larger aspect of their leadership. They not only rekindled the issue afresh but also gave it a new vigor and meaning. Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone  Sahib were brilliant and articulate statesmen who were gunned down for their leadership role in educating their people in their struggle for self‑determination. They were gunned down because they reminded the world about the pledge that was agreed upon by India and Pakistan, and championed by the democratic powers, including the United States and endorsed by the UN Security Council. I had the good fortune of having a detailed meeting with the late Mirwaiz in 1980 just two weeks before I was forced to leave Kashmir. This meeting took place during the visit of the Imam Kaaba to Kashmir when Mirwaiz had been kind enough to invite me along with the Imam to the Mirwaiz Manzil. We discussed the issues of mutual concern and more importantly the ways for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. I could discern within him a selfless desire to serve and emancipate his people from under the Indian occupation. Lone Sahib was a great personality blessed with great talents, not only as a politician but also as a deep thinker. By far the most vivid recollection I have of Lone Sahib was his speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York during an OIC – Foreign Minister Annual Meeting on September 27, 1999. The participants were fascinated by his presentation. Lone Sahib said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Organization of the Islamic Conference as the voice of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, the genuine embodiment of the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.” He added, “Indeed, to speak of humanitarian tragedies and injustice without mentioning Kashmir is like reciting the Holocaust without mentioning Auschwitz or the Palestinian‑Israeli cruelties without mentioning Shaba and Shatila refugee camp slaughters.” Lone Sahib shock the conscience of the OIC leadership by asking: “Is the lesson of Kashmir to be that a nuclear power with an attractive economic market can defy international law, human rights, and morality with impunity?  What would that do to the cause of non‑proliferation?  What would that do for the cause of humanity?  What would that do for securing adherence to the international norms, universal values and above all to the United Nations Security Council resolutions?” The people of Kashmir will never forget the selfless contribution and the tireless efforts of the Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib. Their efforts will remain forever a milestone in the history of the freedom struggle of Kashmir. The vision of Mirwaiz Sahib, Lone Sahib and the unity and sacrifices of the people of Kashmir will undoubtedly lead the Kashmiri freedom struggle to its logical conclusion, that is freedom from the occupation and alien subjugation. Let us all rededicate ourselves to the vision of our martyrs and continue our struggle in unity with full faith in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) to whom belongs victory and defeat, success and failure. May Allah accept the sacrifice of the fellow Kashmiri martyrs? Ameen; Dr. Fai is the Secretary General of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

4.      

 

Weekly update -89: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  May,  ,11,  2021 to May , 18, 2021

1.    Unlawful law; May 11, 2021; On January 24, 2012, 25-year-old Sajad Ahmad Dar of Sopore, who had a firearm injury in the head, was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and subsequently lodged at the district jail Kupwara. Two months later, he died at Kashmir’s lone tertiary-care health institution – Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS), Soura – a few hours after being brought there for treatment. Dar’s family blamed the jail authorities for his death, saying they failed to provide him with medical assistance on time. The family of veteran separatist leader Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, who breathed his last at a hospital in Jammu on May 5 after being shifted there from district jail Udhampur, has accused the authorities of denying him medical treatment in prison. Seventy-seven-year-old Sehrai was chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, an influential separatist group. His family told The Wire that he was suffering from multiple ailments for the past 15 years and medical tests were conducted every three months in the earlier period of his detention. “But he was not provided any such medical facility after he was lodged in Udhampur jail last year. He was never brought out of the jail for treatment or medical examination in the past 10 months,” his son, Mujahid Sehrai, said. According to him, his father told them several times over the phone from the jail that he was not feeling well. “We approached a court for providing him medical treatment but it did not pass any direction yet,” he said, adding that the jail authorities shifted him to the hospital on May 4 only after his condition worsened. His death is one more addition to the list of Kashmiris who died while while detained under the PSA – a law under which a district magistrate can detain a person on his/her subjective satisfaction that the person is likely to act prejudicially to the security of the state or public order. Four Kashmiris have died under similar circumstances in the past nine years. The deaths have also raised questions about the detention of ailing and aged persons under the PSA, which has been described as a “lawless law” by Amnesty International, a London-based rights group. In July 2018, 70-year-old PSA detainee Ghulam Hassan Malik alias Noor Khan of Gulistan, Narvaw, Baramulla died at a hospital in Jammu after being shifted there from Kotbhalwal jail. “My father was not provided proper medical care by the jail authorities after he fell ill. They (jail authorities) dumped him in the hospital only when they realised that he would not survive. The jail inmates told us that he was pleading with the authorities to provide him treatment but they did not even go near to him,” says his son Irshad Ahmad, a driver  In December 2019, 66-year-old Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a member of proscribed Jamaat-e-Islamia, died inside a jail in Uttar Pradesh where he was lodged after his detention under the PSA  https://thewire.in/health/public-safety-act-kashmir-detention-healthcare

2.    Youth martyred; may 12 2021; Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Vailoo area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/11/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iiojk/

3.    Arrests for peaceful protects; May 16 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, police arrested around three dozen people including prominent Hurriyat leader Maulana Sarjan Barkati in Srinagar, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts. Police during house raids arrested 28 youth in Badshahi Bagh and other areas of Srinagar for holding anti-Israel and anti-India protests. Maulana Sarjan Barkati, the face of pro-freedom and anti-India protests, was arrested from his residence at Zainapora in Shopian. He was arrested after he delivered a speech in his locality on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. Sarjan Barkati became famous after he introduced new styles of raising pro-Azadi slogans in the wake of martyrdom of youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July 2016. Several youth including a teacher was arrested in Pulwama while a Srinagar’s artist Mudasir Gul who painted Palestinian women face was booked under black law Public Safety Act. Police also booked three workers of Jamaat-e-Islami in Kulgam district. Despite curfew, the youth staged anti-India and anti-Israel protests in different areas of the Kashmir valley. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/15/indian-police-arrest-three-dozen-youth-sarjani/Weekly update -88: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  May,  ,4,  2021 to May , 11, 2021

1.    COVID19 vaccination ceased: May, 4, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in another act of repression against the Kashmiri people  Indian government has not only stopped supply of Covid-19 vaccine to the territory but is also diverting the allocated stocks to other Indian cities. A top health official of IIOJK’s anti-coronavirus operations said, vaccine supplies from outside of Kashmir have been stopped since last Thursday, resulting into halt of vaccination in the occupied valley, which is currently under lockdown, https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/04/iiojk-runs-out-of-covid-vaccine-as-india-diverts-fresh-supplies/

2.    Youth martyred; May, 5, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town of Baramulla district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Nathipora area of the town. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/04/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-sopore-2/

3.    Sehrai : May, 6, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior APHC leader and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai has been laid to rest in tight military siege in his ancestral village Tekipora in Lolab area of Kupwara. The occupation authorities had put strict restrictions on the movement of the people and the whole area was cordoned off. At the time of the arrival of the dead body and its burial the electricity in the village was completely cut off, plunging the area in total darkness. Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai was deprived of all medical facilities and even basic human facilities in Udhampur jail which became the cause of his failing health. His dead body was brought in police custody from Jammu to his native village.The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has fervently appealed to the people of Kashmir to come out of their homes and hold large protest against the cruelty of Modi regime. The APHC has asked people to hold Gaibana Namaz-e-Janza (funerals in absentia) in every nook and corner of the occupied territory.The appeal has also been made to the Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora and peace loving people all across the globe to hold protests and Gaibana Namaz-e-Janaza all across the globe. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/06/ashraf-sehrai-laid-to-rest-amid-tight-military-siege-in-iiojk/

4.    Three youth martyred: May, 6, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The occupational forces martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kanigam village of the district.https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/05/indian-troops-martyr-3-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/

 

 

 

 

Weekly update -87 : Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Apr. ,27,  2021 to may, 4, 2021

1.    Rape and Indian Army; Apr 30 2021:#RapistIndianArmedForces. Indian armed forces’ personnel are rapists in uniform and even women officers of the forces are not safe from their barbarity. A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said that earlier this week, a woman pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) moved the High Court of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir after facing sexual harassment by a senior officer. She also raised objection to the way the Internal Complaints Committee of the Armed Forces conducted its inquiry. The report said that last year in December, an Indian Army colonel was booked for raping friend’s Russian wife in Uttar Pradesh.“The Indian armed forces have no specific provisions pertaining to sexual harassment. Sexual assault victims rarely receive justice within the Indian armed forces,” it added. The report pointed out that Indian forces’ personnel frequently indulge in inhuman and brutal acts of rape in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It maintained that the Kashmiri women are facing unending ordeal of trauma due to sexual violence at the hands of Indian forces. It said that Indian troops are using rape as a weapon of war in IIOJK to humiliate the Kashmiris and suppress their struggle for securing their right to self-determination. It said 11,236 cases of rape, gang-rape and molestation by Indian forces have been reported since January 1989 till date in IIOJK. The report said that the Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double-rape-and-murder and gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua are some examples of this barbarity perpetrated by Indian forces’ personnel in the occupied territory. Around a hundred women were raped by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of February 23 in 1991. Two young women Aasiya Jan and Neelofar were abducted by Indian men in uniform in Shopian when they had gone to tend their orchard on May 29, 2009. They were gang-raped raped and subsequently murdered in custody. Their dead bodies were recovered from a shallow stream. An eight-year-old girl, Aasifa Bano, of Kathua was abducted, gang-raped and subsequently murdered by Indian police personnel and fanatics affiliated with Hindu extremist organizations in January 2018. The report said that the world community must wake up to contain sexual violence being perpetrated by Indian Army in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/29/indian-soldiers-are-rapists-in-uniform-report/

2.    Youth martyred in April; May, 1, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 18 Kashmiris during the last month of April. during the period, at least 64 persons were injured due to firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by Indian troops and police personnel on peaceful protesters while 92 persons were arrested in the territory. The Indian forces’ personnel destroyed and damaged 9 houses and other structures during so-called cordon and search operations in the month. The troops also molested 4 women during the period. Hurriyat leaders, Javaid Ahmed Mir, Mir Shahid Saleem and Khawaja Firdous, in their statements appealed to the world human rights organizations to take cognizance of the plight of Kashmiri political detainees and play role in their immediate release. In Brussels, the Kashmir Council Europe organized a protest demonstration to express solidarity with the illegally detained Kashmiri prisoners lodged in Indian jails. Talking to the media at the conclusion of the protest, the Council Chairman, Ali Raza Syed, said as the coronavirus is widely spreading in the Indian prisons, threats to the life of the Kashmiri prisoners have increased and their immediate release is essential for safety of their life. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/01/indian-troops-martyr-eighteen-kashmiris-in-april/

3.    Toxic laws: May 4 2021: The Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) has taken a serious exception to the termination of a Muslim school teacher (Idrees Jan )in the name of so-called security concerns by the authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir  The message of concern has been sent to National Human Rights Commission of India, Prime Minister of India, Home Minister of India, Ghulam Nabi Azad leader of the opposition in the Indian Parliament and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, he maintained. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/02/termination-of-muslim-school-teacher-unacceptable-jkchr/

 

Weekly update -85 and 86 : Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Apr. ,12,  2021 to Apr., 26 , 2021

1.    Youth martyred: Apr 20, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Zeipora village of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-7/  

 

 

Weekly update -84: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Apr. ,7,  2021 to Apr., 12 , 2021

1.    25 Years later: Getting Away with Extrajudicial Execution of Jalil Andrabi:Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai:April 7, 2021: One of the darkest chapters of Indian judicial partiality was left hanging half closed and banging in the wind when Major Avtar Singh, the killer of internationally known human rights activist and Chairman of Kashmir Commission of Jurists, Advocate Jalil Andrabi, was found dead after he killed his wife and two children, and finally himself on June 9, 2012, in Selma, California. Avtar Singh, a fugitive from justice, who lived in the hot dry central California community, a suburb of Fresno, was clearly haunted by his past, a past that had seen the blood spilled of more than one man by his own hands. He had killed four others to hide the murder of Andrabi, and then he had killed his own family. In killing Jalil Andrabi, Avtar Singh certainly did not act on his own volition. He was only a major. His act was no doubt a response to orders from above and occurred in a longstanding climate of impunity that the Indian army enjoys in Kashmir. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives any Indian soldier the right in Kashmir to take a Kashmiri’s life under any circumstance, has enabled such a climate for decades. And Jalil Andrabi had become a hated, despised man by the Army, a man dangerous to the status quo of continued murder and torture that had been taking place in Kashmir’s jails, interrogation centers and detention facilities for many years.
Arshad Andrabi, Jalil Andrabi’s brother, has said that the real killers are still at large, and he is right. The real killers are not just army officers but all those from the highest office in India on down through Parliament who had arranged his escape from Kashmir to Canada before he moved illegally to the United States, or looked the other way and refused to extradite him when California authorities notified India that they had their man. They are guilty of maintaining murderous policies, defending hideous acts that take place, encouraging even more grotesque behavior by the mere act of covering up what does occur and failing to prosecute those who have used the law vindictively and without justifiable reason. One wonders whether the government of India is in control of its own policies or is intimidated by the grip of a military industry that has its own agenda. Had the government acted in a timely manner, more lives would have been saved, and perhaps a new horizon in the Indian judicial system would have finally appeared. Some say that Avtar Singh’s death was “poetic justice,” and perhaps in some small way it was, but it’s extremely difficult to see the death of his wife and children as anything but just another sad tragedy, and another great stain on the history and reputation of the world’s largest “democracy.”  Arshad Andrabi touched the heights of magnanimity when he said that he was extremely pained by the death of not only his brother but the deaths of the murderer’s own family as well. This also symbolizes the compassion of not only Arshad but the heart and character of the Andrabi family. Jalil Andrabi, his primary victim, had been a friend of mine. His trip to Geneva in August 1995 shortly before his murder to attend the ‘47^th session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights ‘was at my invitation, as were other international engagements he had attended in Washington and elsewhere. On one such occasion, we had traveled by car together, along with my wife, to attend a convention which was held between September 1 - 4, 1995 in Columbus, Ohio, in order to talk and exchange views intimately on various issues on which we shared an interest. It was on this trip that I gained a much deeper appreciation for Jalil Andrabi’s character. He was a man of deep compassion and vision, high intellect and deep judicial insight and had been personally responsible for bringing many human rights violations in Kashmir into the light of day. During the United Nations Sub-Commission, Dr. Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR hosted a dinner in honor of Jalil Andrabi which was attended by many international NGO’s. Dr. Gilani played an important role during the Commission to declare Jalil Andrabi as a ‘UN Protected Person’. Following year Dr. Gilani organized a memorial for Jalil Andrabi on April 1, 1996 in Geneva to pay respect to his friend who fell to a death under torture for cause – that we all – so dearly uphold. During the Commission, Jalil Andrabi made two interventions, one on August 7, 1995, under agenda item 18, which was on the issue of ‘Freedom of Movement.’ On that occasion he had said, “Mr. Chairman, the Kashmiris are waging a legitimate struggle for achieving the exercise of their right of self-determination, and the atrocities which constitute war crimes forbidden under the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are being inflicted upon them only because of this struggle. Therefore, besides, calling upon India to put an end to the crimes against humanity, it is necessary to compel India to allow the people of Kashmir an unfettered exercise of their right of self-determination under the UN auspices.” ”The atrocities,” he said, “which are perpetrated upon my people are not aberrations but rather integral components of a systematic policy. These atrocities are being perpetrated as a weapon of war in order to break the will of the people.”  Jalil Andrabi also spoke under the agenda item, ‘The Administration of Justice’ on August 17, 1995 and said, “ The laws conferring and unrestricted and arbitrary powers on the armed forces continue to remain in operation in Jammu & Kashmir, with full impunity to the perpetrators of crimes against the humanity and violations of fundamental human rights, threatening the very existence of Kashmiri people.” Advocate Jalil Andrabi knew firsthand the facts. He had been documenting the human rights violations by taking information from victim’s families and witnesses. In personal conversations he had told me how very difficult it was for lawyers to meet with the detainees and how much they are under pressure, and he had also told me that because of his political views the Indian Army had often harassed him. He knew that his life was on the line, in fact, and had spent a month in New Delhi just prior to his murder, hoping to escape India’s wrath. He had only returned to Kashmir to celebrate Eid with his family and friends. It was in response to information he had gathered that in 1994 he filed a petition in Jammu & Kashmir High Court of Jammu & Kashmir demanding greater access to prisoners. The evidence he presented was substantial and his arguments convincing, and the High Court ordered that all district committees consisting of judicial police and medical authorities make regular visits to jails, detention and interrogation centers, and police stations all across the state. This was a huge victory. It brought the state government to its knees. Once he had opened the floodgates, much more evidence of torture and other crimes became public and it was then, no doubt, that the Army wanted him dead. The target of guilt had been placed squarely on their backs, and there was no escape. Many more cases of torture and other human rights violations became known. Jalil Andrabi was a Muslim but his compassion and love transcended all religious boundaries. During his intervention in Geneva he said, “My people are intelligent, industrious and peace loving.  The ethical concept of human brotherhood beyond the bonds of closed religious groupings has always animated Kashmiris.” During his visit to Geneva Jalil Andrabi met with more than a dozen United Nations experts, hundreds of members of NGOs, and various delegations representing different governments. We also had a meeting with UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Jose Ayala Lasso. Jalil Andrabi was so convincing in his argument because he presented every detail with documentation and logic that I felt it would be helpful for the cause of Kashmir to invite him to the United States. In Washington we had meetings with members of Congress, the State Department, the National Security Council and members of think tanks and human rights organizations. Jalil Andrabi also spoke during the national annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America on Labor Day weekend, 1995, in Columbus, Ohio, which was attended by more than 20,000 people who came from all across America. I wanted to invite him again in 1996 to attend the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, but unfortunately in March of that year, while he was returning home to Srinagar with his wife, the car was stopped, and he was taken into custody. Twenty days later, his dead body was seen floating in the Jehlum River. His hands were tied, he had been shot, and his eyes were gouged out. He had been tortured mercilessly, an inhuman brutality which can never properly be explained. Here in Washington, the spokesperson of the State Department, Mr. Nicholas Burns issued a statement on March 29, 1996, condemning the killing of Jalil Andrabi and called upon the government of India to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Andrabi’s abduction and murder. Mr. Burns expressed hope that Andrabi’s murderers would be quickly apprehended and punished. Such a statement was also issued by the UN Human Rights Commissioner Jose Ayala Lasso condemning the murder and calling for an impartial investigation. Various members of Congress, including Congressmen Donald Payne, James Moran, Dan Burton and Dana Rohrabacher wrote a joint letter to then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao of India on March 27, 1996 conveying their profound dismay at the death of Jalil Andrabi. They asked that the Indian government thoroughly investigate this shocking murder and bring the perpetrators to justice. Members of Congress also wrote a joint letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher on March 27, 1996 and said that Mr. Andrabi’s death was a shocking reminder of India’s brutal conduct in Kashmir. They requested that the Secretary of State call upon our ambassador to India and raise this matter with the government of India. They hoped that the Secretary of State would express their shock at this extrajudicial killing to his counterpart in India and call for a thorough investigation to bring the killers to justice. Amnesty International also issued a statement on March 28, 1996 condemning the killing and asked for an impartial investigation. Unfortunately despite this condemnation at a global level, the government of India not only did not punish the perpetrator but did not even arrest the main culprit. When the Jammu & Kashmir High Court found Major Avtar Singh to be the person who killed Jalil Andrabi, the High Court ordered his arrest in 1997. The judge who did so was punished by immediately being transferred from Kashmir to India. In addition, because Indian army personnel have full immunity in Kashmir, the government of India arranged a passport despite the court order for his arrest, and facilitated his exit from India to save him from any legal proceedings. In 2011, the Selma police in California informed the government of India that they had Avtar Singh in custody and were aware of his fugitive status, a discovery that was made through Interpol when his wife filed a domestic abuse complaint against him. India failed to respond to this notice. He w as never extradited. The U.S. Immigration Service could have deported him, but again did not, refused comment when contacted and clearly did not act. Avtar Singh is reported to have said at the time, “The law here is on my side. The case against me will not stand in court here.’’ The writer interviewing him, Hartosh Singh Bal, asked him, “what if the extradition does go through? He does not hesitate: ‘There is no question of my being taken to India alive, they will kill me.’ Who will, I ask him. ‘The agencies, RAW, military intelligence, it is all the same.’ ‘If the extradition does go through, I will open my mouth, I will not keep quiet.’” [Source: http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/the-man-who-knows-too-much ] The foundation of America’s greatness was established long ago in the Bill of Rights and its underlying recognition of human rights. Whenever America applied these principles, it set the bar for the highest moral standing in the global community. But unfortunately today America seems to worry more about a corporate agenda of business deals and trade than it does human rights. India is being encouraged to take over America’s battle in Afghanistan and restrain the encroachments of China. Global hegemony takes precedence. The pot can no longer call the kettle black. It fails to appreciate or uphold those golden values of universal human rights and democratic values. Yet, paradoxically, it is important to note that it was our State Department, which in 1995 not only condemned the murder of Jalil Andrabi but asked for an impartial investigation and had hoped the murderers would be quickly apprehended and punished. It was kind of them to say so. But apparently, it doesn’t take much moral strength or political will to utter mere words. Twenty-five years later, the justice has not been served. We hope now that the inaction and passivity of the world powers will prick the conscience of Biden Administration and motivate her to end these crimes against humanity. Their justice is awaited. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com

2.    Three young men martyred: Apr., 9, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/08/indian-troops-martyr-3-youth-in-shopian-today/

3.    Seven youth martyred: Apr., 10, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts, today, taking the number of the martyred youth in the territory to 7 since yesterday. The troops martyred two more youth during the continued cordon and search operation in Jan Mohalla area of Shopian. The troops killed three youth in the same area, last evening. The troops also damaged a mosque in the area during the operation. Indian troops martyred two other youth during a similar operation at Naibugh in Pulwama district, today.https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/09/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-today/

4.    Youth martyred: Apr., 11, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Islamabad districts, taking the number of the martyred youth in the territory to 12 since Thursday. Three youth were martyred by the troops during cordon and search operations in Hadipora area of Shopian while another two youth were martyred in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/11/indian-troops-martyr-five-more-youth-in-iiojk/

 

 

 

 

Weekly update -83: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Mar. ,30,  2021 to Aor., 5 , 2021

1.    US HRs report: Mar., 31, 2021: governments also placed severe restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of movement. Corruption within the bureaucracy, lack of investigation and accountability for violence against women were also common. Problems identified in India include trafficking in persons; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of racial and ethnic minorities. The chapter on India also mentioned crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex persons by nonstate actors. The report noted that in both countries, efforts to address the abuses were marred by “a lack of accountability as official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, contributing to widespread impunity.” ” https://www.dawn.com/news/1615606/us-report-highlights-serious-rights-violations-in-india-and-pakistan

2.    Protests: Apr.,1, 2021: Pakistani-Kashmiri, Bangladeshi and Sikh rights groups have vowed to stage demonstrations across the United Kingdom (UK) on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to attend G7 summit 2021. Tehreek- e- Kashmir TeK (UK) President Raja Fahim Kayani, Dalkhalsa Chairman Gurcharan Singh, and Former Councillor and Chief Advisor of British Bangladeshi Community Alliance, Mozaquir Ali held a discussion on Wednesday to chalk out the campaign under the banner of United Front against Modi, on the occasion of his scheduled visit to the UK in the Coastal Town of Carbis Bay Cornwall to attend the G7 Summit being held on June 11-13. Dalkhalsa Chairman Gurcharan singh, representing Sikh's in the UK, said that he would like to call on the British people to oppose PM Modi's visit to the UK. “Modi is a fascist dictator whose sole aim in politics is Hindu supremacy and creation of a Hindu state.” https://tribune.com.pk/story/2292574/protests-planned-for-modis-visit-to-attend-g7-summit-in-uk

3.    Focus on Jammu & Kashmi by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai: April 1, 2021: Once again, the United States Department of State, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, issued on March 30, 2021 has reproached India on her human rights record. The country report contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. This is a significant step towards greater international recognition of the serious abuses committed against Kashmiris at the hands of Indian army. This report will take the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity. The country report cites various examples where the authorities intimidate and threaten the media. The report says, “Journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir continued to face barriers to free reporting through communications and movement restrictions. Criminal prosecutions were often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities, including the use of a section of the penal code that includes sedition punishable by life imprisonment. In February the Kashmir Press Club stated security agencies had routinely deployed intimidation tactics such as threats, summonses, and physical attacks on journalists in Jammu and Kashmir.” The country report in particular describes an incident when “On April 18, police in Kashmir booked photojournalist Masrat Zahra under the UAPA for indulging in “antinational activities” on social media. In a statement police accused Zahra of “uploading antinational posts with criminal intention, uploading posts that glorify antinational activities and dent the image of law enforcing agencies besides causing disaffection against the country.” Zahra maintained she was sharing archival images that had already been published in different local and international social media platforms. The investigation continued at year’s end.” “On April 10, authorities arrested pregnant student leader Safoora Zargar under the UAPA for allegedly conspiring to incite the Delhi riots. The Delhi High Court released her on June 23 after the central government did not object to her release.”The country report details many instances where the use of draconian laws has given sense of total impunity to the Indian army in Kashmir. It states “Under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the central government may designate a state or union territory as a “disturbed area,” authorizing security forces in the state to use deadly force to “maintain law and order” and to arrest any person “against whom reasonable suspicion exists” without informing the detainee of the grounds for arrest. The law also provides security forces immunity from civilian prosecution for acts committed in regions under the AFSPA.” “The Public Safety Act (PSA), which applies only in Jammu and Kashmir, permits authorities to detain persons without charge or judicial review for up to two years without visitation from family members.” The country report underscored that “There were allegations of enforced disappearance by the Jammu and Kashmir police. Although authorities denied these charges and claimed no enforced disappearances had occurred since 2015, the International Federation for Human Rights reported that cases of enforced disappearances continued through 2019.” “In February the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances identified seven cases under its standard procedures concerning individuals who were arrested, detained, or otherwise deprived of rights. The Working Group had not received permission to visit the country since it first submitted a request to the government in 2010.”The country report cites specific incidents where the Indian Government violated the very principles of human decency and democratic freedom against the people of Kashmir. The report states that, “In responding to demonstrations that started in July 2016, Indian security forces used excessive force that led to unlawful killings and a very high number of injuries. … One of the most dangerous weapons used against protesters during the unrest in 2016 was the pellet-firing shotgun.” The country report was very concerned about arbitrary arrests and detention. It says, “Following the central government’s August 2019 abrogation of a special constitutional provision that provided autonomous status for Jammu and Kashmir, authorities used a public safety law to detain local politicians without trial. Most detainees were released during the year. Media reports indicated those released were required to sign bonds agreeing not to engage in political activity.” The country report talks about the denial of fair public trial. It says, “In April, Mohammed Yasin Malik, leader of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested and charged with murder in the death of four Air Force officials in 1990. Malik was denied the right to be physically present in court. Human rights groups in Kashmir, including the JKCCS, expressed concern regarding whether Malik was receiving a fair trial.” Political prisoners are facing many hardships. Their relatives do not have free access to meet with them even on special occasions. The report says, “NGOs reported the central government held political prisoners and temporarily detained individuals in Jammu and Kashmir under the PSA. On September 15, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed parliament that 223 political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, who had been detained after August 2019, remained in detention but added “no person is under house arrest.” The country report quoted international experts and NGOs who have not been able to visit Jammu & Kashmir. The report says, “Various domestic and international human rights organizations continued to express serious concern at the use of pellet guns by security forces for crowd-control purposes in Jammu and Kashmir. In March the Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed the public interest litigation petition seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns on protesters, asserting that police have the right to administer force in self-defense when facing violent protests.” The country report cites many examples of torture which has been used against civilians in Jammu & Kashmir. The report says, “A May 2019 report by the JKCCS and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons alleged that police, military, and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir used torture against civilians and opposition over the past four decades. The report documented 432 testimonies from individuals who claimed to have been tortured. There were continued allegations of physical abuse and torture following the government’s enhanced security measures in Jammu and Kashmir after the August 2019 move to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution.” As we all know that Internet ban has been a serious problem. The report says, “The center reported the longest shutdown occurred between August 4, 2019, and March 4 in Jammu and Kashmir.” The right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are basic human rights. The report says, “Jammu and Kashmir was an exception, where the state government sometimes denied permits to separatist political parties for public gatherings, and security forces reportedly occasionally detained and assaulted members of political groups engaged in peaceful protest (see section 1.g.). During periods of civil unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities used the law to ban public assemblies and impose curfews.” International NGO’s including the United Nations Special Rapporteurs have been denied entry into Kashmir. The report says, “The government continued to decline access by the United Nations to Jammu and Kashmir and limit access to the northeastern states and Maoist-controlled areas. In an August statement, UN human rights experts called on the government “to take urgent action to address the alarming human rights situation in the territory.” The UN special rapporteurs noted that since August 2019, “the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free fall,” and they were “particularly concerned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many protesters are still in detention and Internet restrictions remain in place.” The group appealed to the government “to schedule pending visits as a matter of urgency, particularly of the experts dealing with torture and disappearances.” It is well documented that the bloody occupation has resulted in massive human rights violations, particularly targeting women and children. The sanctity of women has been violated, in a gruesome and unforgiving fashion. It is our hope that the State Department Country Report will mobilize the policy makers and the members of Congress to do everything in their constitutional power to stop the killings in Kashmir. It is further our hope that the Biden Administration will look to solving the root cause of the problem – the unfulfilled promise of self-determination as guaranteed by successive United Nations Security Council resolutions. We believe that history is not predestined, and it is up to us to make peace its destiny in Kashmir through all of our energies, goodwill, wisdom, and compassion for the tragic afflictions of that once glorious land. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Washington, D.C. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435  or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

 

4.    Three youth martyred: Apr., 2, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kakapora area of the district. The troops also blasted a house with explosive material during the operation. The killing of the youth triggered forceful anti-India demonstrations in the area. Several persons, including a woman, were injured, some of them critically, due to the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by the troops on the demonstrators. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/02/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-3/ 

Weekly update -82: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Mar. ,24,  2021 to Mar., 29 , 2021

1.    Four youth martyred: Mar., 23, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed by the troops in a fake encounter during a violent cordon and search operation in Manihal area of the district. The operation was jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Indian police. The troops destroyed many houses during the operation. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/22/indian-troops-martyr-four-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-3/

2.    Youth martyred: Mar., 28, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district on Saturday evening. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a siege and search operation in Wangam area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/indian-troops-martyr-another-kadhmiri-youth-in-shopian/

3.    Human right violations in IOK:  Mar., 28, 2021:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, unrelenting military siege imposed by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on August 05, 2019, continues to take a heavy toll on daily life of the people in the territory. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the completion of 600 days (almost 20 months) to the military siege, today, revealed that Indian troops martyred 323 Kashmiris including 7 women during the period. It said that most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters and in extra-judicial manner in the garb of so-called cordon and search operations. The report maintained that most of the youth were picked up from their homes and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers of mujahid organizations. It said that the killings during the period by the troops during the last 600 days rendered 17women widowed and 39 children orphaned. The report pointed out that at least 1,753 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force including firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. It said that at least 14,621 persons including Hurriyat leaders, activists, women, students and young boys were arrested and thousands of them were booked under black laws. The troops damaged 1,008 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 106 women in the period, it added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/323-kashmiris-martyred-by-indian-troops-during-600-day-siege/

4.    Youth martyred; mar 29 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district. The troops martyred the youth during a siege and search operation in Wangam area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/indian-troops-martyr-another-kadhmiri-youth-in-shopian/

 

Weekly update -81: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Mar. ,16,  2021 to Mar., 22 , 2021

1.    Youth martyred: Mar., 16, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today, raising the toll to two in the past two days. The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Rawalpora area of the district while body of one youth was recovered on Sunday from the debris of a house destroyed by the troops.  Wilayat Lone alias Sajad Afghani has been killed in the three-day long operation in Rawalpora area of Shopian district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-shopian/

2.    Women in IOK: Mar., 21, 2021: The panelists discuss the issue of 'half-widows' of Kashmir atan online conference. The conference was moderated by prominent peace activist Marijan Lucas from the Netherlands and Ali Raza Syed who is the chairman of Kashmir council EU. Mashal Malik, head of the Peace and Culture Organisation, says that women in Occupied Kashmir have been facing a lot of hardships.The woes of Kashmiri 'half-widows' is a very serious issue and should be immediately addressed. The term "half-widow" is used for Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared and still missing during the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. These women are called "half-widows" because they have no idea whether their husbands are dead or alive. Assabah Khan from Srinagar, who is a human rights activist for the last 20 years, narrated her story. Khan’s husband, Farooq Ahmed Dar, is in an Indian jail. She also mentioned the names of some women in the occupied valley who are fighting for the release of their loved ones. Assabah also highlighted that in an alarming sign, there are currently 18,000 Kashmiri children in Indian jails whose mothers are worried. Hawala Siddiqui from Canada, the co-founder of the Silk Organisation, said that people should highlight the issues of women in Occupied Kashmir, especially sexual violence against them, through social media. Over 10,000 Kashmiri men have been missing and their wives, mothers, and sisters were still waiting because they did not know if they were dead or alive, Hawala said. Suraya Siddiqui, another Kashmiri woman from Canada, also stressed the need for global action against violence against Kashmiri women. https://www.geo.tv/latest/340574-panelists-discuss-hardships-faced-by-half-widows-of-iok-at-virtual-conference

3.     Women’s rights in conflict area, a case study of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmi by Dr. Shagufta Ashraf : March 20, 2021:Kashmiri women are the biggest victims of the ongoing conflict. They have suffered human rights abuses under the impunity of the suffocating Indian military presence in Indian administered Kashmir. According to statistics from Jammu and Kashmir state commission from women, a now defunct government institution is established to protect women and children rights to ensure quick prosecutions. Cases of domestic violence and general violence have been rising more than three thousand a year during the previous clampdowns in 2016 and 2017. Ever increasing number of widows and half widows in Indian Administered Kashmir is a matter of great trauma as it reduces the grace and color of life of a woman. There is a long way to get freedom for women from the clutches of suppression and humiliation committed against them. Women of Indian Administered Kashmir die in silence. The economic, social and psychological status of widows devastates under the social patriarchy and inequality. In most of the cases she loses the property rights. There is no existence of initialization and rehabilitation. Most of the widows and half widows are from poor. Kunan and Poshpora in the India-administered Kashmir was such an incident that had changed the social and mental life of our women when 150 girls and women were raped that night; nearly 200 men were tortured. Barns became torture chambers. The next morning, as one can well imagine, was marked by immense horror and paralyzing pain. And yet, justice is elusive over all these years, as the Indian army has continued to exercise brutality and has enjoyed complete impunity, thanks to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The controversial law lets Indian Army personnel enter any premise at any time in the Valley, without a search warrant, and use lethal force, if they deem it necessary. The Indian state has continuously avoided responsibility for abuses at the hands of the Army. Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned extrajudicial killings by Indian forces [BBC report]. The Shopian rape and murder case is the abduction, rape and murder of two young women allegedly by local Indian army, in mysterious circumstances between 29 and 30 May 2009 at Bongam, Shopian district in the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. Two women who were sisters-in-law went missing from their orchard on the way home on 29 May 2009. The next morning, their bodies were found both one kilometer apart. Local police rejected the allegations saying that the women appeared to have drowned in a stream. There has been no justice since and that is what they mean when they say justice denied. “The killers, the rapists are the ones who are doing the investigation,” says the father of one. How can you trust a system that is run by the very people who are part of the society that questions the integrity of a woman who has been raped?, Eight year A. was kidnapped and gang raped and then murdered by the priest and government servants in a temple in Kathua, in Indian-administered Kashmir. On the morning of 17 January, Muhammad Yusuf Pujwala was sitting outside his home in Kathua when one of his neighbors came running towards him. He stopped in front of Me Pujwala and broke the news: they had found his eight-year-old daughter, A. B.. Her body lay in bushes in the forest, a few hundred meters away. The Indian Administered Kashmir valley has a turmoiled relationship with India - the way women and children have been targeted.  I demand an impartial investigation of all these cases by international organizations. The way women and children are used as weapons of war are alarming. Indian rule from 1989 to 2020 has increased pain among women and their families by arresting their only bread earners and kept in different Indian jails. Despite the fact that 187 countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination against widows has been ignored. Before conclusion it needs to be emphasized that every conflict has many consequences. Oppression and state sponsored terrorism are responsible for increasing the population of widows, half widows and rape victims. Enlightened opinion of the world must converge to resolve the conflict by redeeming their democratic right to choose their future as per United Nations Charter and United Nations resolutions. :She can be reached at:xhagufta@yahoo.com

 

 

 Weekly update -79 & 80: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Mar. ,2,  2021 to Mar., 15 , 2021

1.    Australian Ex Senator on Kashmir: Mar., 8, 2021: Former Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon in her message on the eve of International Women Day has said that the idea of IWD 2021 should speak for the Kashmiri women’s demand for self-determination. Senator Lee Rhiannon in her video message on the occasion urged the world to mark International Women’s Day 2021 by standing with Kashmiri women.“The need is to expose the crimes against Kashmiri women on International Women’s Day 2021,” she added. Since 1990, around 10,000 Kashmiri women have been raped and 27,000 have been made half-widows. She added that Indian military personnel have committed these shocking crimes, but no one was charged. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/07/former-aussie-senator-speaks-for-kashmiri-women/

2.    Youth martyred: Mar., 10., 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Sopore town of Baramulla district, today.The troops martyred the youth identified as Ghani Khawaja during a cordon and search operation in Tujjer area of the town.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/09/indian-troops-launch-caso-in-baramulla-5/

3.    Children in Kashmir: Mar., 11, 2021: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested as many as 39 youths on charges of being involved in the stone-pelting incident at Srinagar city’s Jama Masjid last Friday, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said here on Wednesday. According to the senior police official, of them 15 youth have been slapped with the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). “We will not allow stone pelting at any cost. We have arrested 39 stone-pelters in Srinagar recently. Fifteen of them will be booked under PSA,” IGP Kumar said during a press conference in Srinagar. The youths have been accused of stone-pelting during last Friday’s clashes between locals and government forces at Nowhatta locality on the day senior Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was expected to address the weekly congregation at the central Jama Mosque. He was, however, detained at his Nigeen residence, leading to protests. IGP Kumar also claimed that the police had arrested a group of persons who were part of a module of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to the police the group was planning a Pulwama-like IED attack in the region. “We arrested a first year bachelor’s student who was motivated through social media applications. After interrogating him four more youth were arrested,” Kumar said   https://www.newsclick.in/kashmir-fifteen-39-youths-arrested-stone-pelting-charged-PSA

4.    Two youth martyred: Mar., 12, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today. The youth were martyred, today, during a cordon and search operation launched by the troops in Kandipora area of the district, yesterday. A house was also damaged in the operation. The authorities suspended internet service in Islamabad district immediately after the killing. The martyred youth were identified as Adil Ahmad Butt, a resident of Bijbehara and Zahid Ahmad Rather, a resident of Sirhama, Islamabad district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/11/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-5/

5.    Youth martyred: Mar., 15, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today( Sunday). The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Rawalpora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/14/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-6/

 

Weekly update -78: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Feb ,23,  2021 to Mar., 1 , 2021

1.    UN report on Kashmir: A UN report on held Kashmir has greatly damaged India’s narrative on Kashmir which it was trying to build for two years. In the report, the UN experts voiced their concern over India's decision to revoke the occupied Kashmir's autonomy and enact laws that could curtail the political participation of Muslims and other minorities. They also said Muslims and other minority groups stood to lose on issues such as employment and land ownership. The statement by Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, was released as diplomats from nearly two dozen countries concluded a two-day visit to the occupied valley arranged by the Modi Sarkar. Thus, it had more impact and greatly hurt the narrative that India was building for the foreign diplomats. The UN experts noted that on August 5, 2019, India "unilaterally and without consultation" revoked the constitutional special status of the region and passed the so-called domicile rules in May 2020 which removed protections given to those from the occupied territory. Subsequent changes to land laws are further eroding these protections in the only state in India with a Muslim majority. “The loss of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the government in New Delhi suggests the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have their own government and have lost power to legislate or amend laws in the region to ensure the protection of their rights as minorities,” the UN experts said.“The number of successful applicants for domicile certificates that appear to be from outside Jammu and Kashmir raises concerns that demographic change on a linguistic, religious and ethnic basis is already under way,” the statement added.“These legislative changes may have the potential to pave the way for people from outside the former state of Jammu and Kashmir to settle in the region, alter the demographics of the region and undermine the minorities’ ability to exercise effectively their human rights,” the experts said.  The festering problem has led to the barbaric killings of thousands of people in the valley, including women and children. They said India, to counter the impact of the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan, arranged the visit, which was immediately sabotaged by the UN rights report. Soon after the diplomats’ visit, three policemen were killed in attacks in the disputed region, two of them in held Srinagar, showing the conflict was not frozen in time and no matter how many guided tours were arranged, ground realities in the disputed region remained the same. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/793711-un-report-on-held-kashmir-setback-for-india

2.    Turkey on Kashmir: Feb., 24 2021: The Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK) Tuesday extended its gratitude to foreign minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu for expressing the aspirations of Kashmiris at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to seek an end of illegal Indian occupation from Jammu and Kashmir. "We reiterate our call to the Indian government to ease the current restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir. We wish the resolution of the issue through peaceful means on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and legitimate expectations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," said a news release while quoting Turkey foreign minister address to 46th session of the UNHRC on February 22. The Turkey statement  comes on the heels of observations made by Genocide Watch (an independent US-based watch dog) that; "The Indian government's actions in Kashmir have been an extreme case of persecution and could very well lead to genocide. At present the [Kashmir] valley is suffering from a 'pre-genocidal' situation." Turkey's stand on Kashmir should awaken the UNHRC, and world community, on Kashmir which must call a special session to discuss the humanitarian crisis in the region and seek implementation of right to self-determination in the disputed region, it added. The LFOVK sought establishment of war crimes tribunal under UNHRC and international support to prosecute the Indian occupational forces to take them to task for the heinous crimes committed in the occupied territory. These vicious crimes must shake conscious of UNHRC members and they must do what is necessary: hold India accountable. According to LFOVK research, more than 470 people, including armed rebels and occupational Indian troops, were killed in gunfights and "staged" clashes in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020. Indian forces also killed some 65 civilians "extra-judicially", meaning in staged gunfights.  https://www.urdupoint.com/en/kashmir/lfovk-hails-turkeys-call-for-justice-on-kash-1175514.html

3.    Youth martyred: Feb., 25, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Srigufwara area of the district. Occupation authorities suspended internet service in the district to prevent dissemination of information about the brutalities of Indian forces in the area.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk/

4.    Cease fire: Feb., 26, 2021: Pakistan and India have agreed to the strict observance of all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors, with effect from Wednesday midnight. “In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence,” a joint statement said, referring to the military operations heads of the two countries. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the DGMOs of the two countries held discussions over the established mechanism of hotline contact. "Ninety two per cent of the figures shared occurred between 2014 and 2021," he said, adding that 49 women and 26 children have been martyred in the last four years. He said that the year 2019 witnessed the most ceasefire violations while 2018 had the most casualties. "After the understanding between the two countries, it has been agreed to implement the 2003 ceasefire in letter and spirit," he said. 33 civilians martyred, 260 injured by Indian shelling in AJK in 2020.Indian troops committed more than 2,900 ceasefire violations across the LoC in 2020, leaving as many as 33 innocent civilians martyred and another 260 wounded in different parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). “Not only the civilians, they also targeted the UN military observers in this year while they were on a routine monitoring mission along the LoC,'' the minister had said, referring to the Dec 18 shooting at a UN vehicle in Poonch district. https://www.dawn.com/news/1609331/pakistan-india-agree-on-strict-observance-of-all-agreements-ceasefire-along-loc-ispr

5.    OIC on Kashmir : Feb., 26, 2021: The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen has reaffirmed the OIC’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in Jammu and Kashmir. The OIC Secretary General made the statement in his address to the High-Level Segment of the ongoing 46th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The UNHRC’s session, which commenced on February 22, will continue till March 23 in a virtual mode. He said, this session takes place at a time when the world is facing numerous challenges affecting peace, security, human rights and development. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of life and especially on human rights. It has exacerbated social inequality and vulnerability,” he said.Dr Al-Othaimeen highlighted the massive Israeli human rights violations against the Palestinian people, the human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction in Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijan, the situation of the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar and other Muslim communities in non-OIC member states. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/25/in-address-to-unhrc-oic-chief-mentions-hr-situation-in-iiojk/

6.      UNHRC on Kashmir: Feb., 28, 2021: Bachelet also spoke on the situation in Kashmir, noting that restrictions on communications and clampdowns on civil society activists “remain of concern”. She observed that despite the restoration of 4G access for the first time since August 2019 in Kashmir, the “communications blockade has seriously hampered civic participation, as well as business, livelihoods, education, and access to health-care and medical information”.”Raids against human rights defenders in October and November exemplify the continued restrictions on civil society, and resulting impact on the rights of the people of Kashmir to impart and receive information, and to engage in free, open debate on Government policies affecting them,” she noted.   https://thewire.in/rights/un-human-rights-chief-michele-bachelet-farmers-protests-sedition-charges-social-media-curbs-kashmir

7.    Journalist: Feb., 28, 2021: The Clooney Foundation for Justice will monitor the trial of  award winning Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan who has been detained in Kashmir for over two and a half years and faces the death penalty if convicted. Sultan is a journalist who reported on human rights and political issues for the Kashmir Narrator. He has been imprisoned since his arrest in August 2018 and was only indicted five months later. He is now charged with supporting the terrorist group, Hizbul Mujahideen, and conspiring to kill a police officer. If convicted after trial, he faces the death penalty. Press and human rights organisations believe the charges actually stem from Sultan’s reports on the killing of a Kashmiri militant by Indian security forces. The killing set off anti-government demonstrations in Kashmir in July 2016. The indictment cites Sultan’s social media posts and letter pads of the Hizbul Mujahideen at his home as evidence of his involvement with the banned group. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), after the group called for Sultan’s release in The Washington Post, the Jammu and Kashmir police  responded on Twittersaying that Sultan was not being held for his work but for “hatching a criminal conspiracy, harbouring and supporting terrorists who martyred a police constable.” He is one of a number of journalists in Kashmir who appear to have been detained, investigated, or prosecuted in connection with their journalistic activities under counterterrorism and related laws. https://thewire.in/media/clooney-foundation-to-monitor-trial-of-kashmiri-journalist-detained-for-over-2-years

8.    Children in Kashmir : Feb., 28, 2021:  Speakers at a webinar hosted by Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) and World Muslim Congress (WMC) made a passionate appeal to the international community urging it to stand up for the rights of Kashmiri children who have been the worst victims of the lingering dispute and Indian state terrorism. Hosted in Islamabad as a sideline event of the ongoing 46th Session of United Nations Human Rights Council, the webinar titled “Forgotten children of Kashmir conflict” was participated and addressed by noted human rights activists, scholars, academicians and international experts including His Excellency Ambassador Dr Shahid Ameen Khan, World Chairman and Ambassador at Large, International Human Rights Commission; Ms Danielle Khan Special Assistant to Dean Eliot A Cohen at Johns Hopkins Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies; Rana Shama Nazir, Chairperson British Kashmiri Women Council, UK; Barrister Nida Salam, British-Kashmiri Barrister; Ms Marrina Zucca, Human Rights Activist Italy; Dr Shaheen Shora, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Lead for Mental Health Services, Hertfordshire, UK; Mr Ahmed Bin Qasim, son of political prisoners Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo and Aasiya Andrabi; and Prof Shugafta Ashraf, Amb. Ibhrim Dadu Said of Lebanon, whereas the event was moderated by the KIIR Chairman, Altaf Hussain Wani. The speakers while highlighting the plight of Kashmiri children said that decade-old conflict has left the life of Kashmiri children completely devastated. “Besides affecting the mental and physical health of children the unending violence has rendered their future bleak”, they said adding that the life of Kashmiris especially the children who have always been at the receiving end has sadly been crippled by the long-running dispute.“The fact remains that no facet of life in Kashmir has been left unaffected from the brutal war. However, being a vulnerable segment of the society children in Kashmir have been the worst victims of direct and indirect forms of violence and brutality, which has left indelible imprints of war on their memory. The atmosphere of violence has virtually robbed them of their childhood activities and cherished memories. Grown up witnessing nothing but the sounds of gunshots, killings and cries of the injured, the children have literally lost the meaning of childhood,” they said. The speakers maintained that like other parts of the world, children of Kashmir deserve the right to live a peaceful life in a violence-free environment. They said, these silent sufferers of the conflict deserve the right to health and education. “Hundreds of innocent children have fallen to the bullets of Indian army while thousands of others have become orphans after losing their parents, and many have been left to rot in detention and interrogation centers without any fault. Young generation of Kashmir has been searing in the flames of withering injustice, discrimination,” the deplored. The speakers said apart from dire economic impact, the violence has cast a dark shadow on the physical and mental health of Kashmiri children. “Having seen their loved ones killed by firing of the Indian army the Kashmiri children have been under tremendous mental depression. Anxiety, fear and trauma occupy their early emotional state has led to other psycho-social problems. The conflict has snatched from them the most cherished childhood days,” they added. Referring to impact of violence on education of children, the speakers said that due to many psycho-social problems many orphan children could not continue their education and some of them are studying in orphanages run by socio-religious organizations. Ahmed bin Qasim, son of political prisoners Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo and Aasiya Andrabi, highlighted the suffering of his parents and family. He said his mother has spent over 12 years of her life in prison and his father was jailed just two months after Ahmed was born. “The people of Kashmir call my father the Nelson Mandela of Kashmir – I just hope he too is a free man one day in a free Kashmir. Now my father is serving a life sentence and was recently shifted to a jail outside Indian illegally occupied Jammu and I am not alone Kashmiri – every Kashmiri child has such harrowing stories of the atrocities inflicted on us by the occupying Indian forces,” Qasim added.The speakers said that like other parts of the world, children of Kashmir deserve the right to live a peaceful life in a violence-free environment. They said that it was incumbent upon the global community to play its due role to help secure the future of Kashmiri children and make India accountable for its crimes against humanity in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/27/webinar-seeks-end-to-violence-against-children-in-iiojk/ 

Weekly update -77: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Feb ,16,  2021 to Feb., 22 , 2021

1.    Youth martyred: Feb., 20, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/19/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiris-in-iiojk/

2.    Arms denied to India: Feb., 21, 2021: In a big snub to India, over its “poor human rights record” in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the German government declined license to two firms planning small arms export. Though Germany is India’s sixth-largest trading partner and its largest trading partner from the European Union, it feared that their small arms could be used against the civilian population in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to a report published in Telegraph India, the concerns over the security forces’ human rights record in Jammu and Kashmir had raised a barrier before Germany’s small arms exports to India.Two Indian security officials familiar with the bar on German small arms producers said these companies had failed to obtain export licences from their government on account of the “poor human rights record” in Kashmir. The report also revealed that a Belgian arms manufacturer too had recently walked out of a deal to supply arms to India’s army amid concerns in the Belgian government that the weapons would be used in Jammu and Kashmir. Belgium’s FN Herstal had signed the Rs 70-crore deal in 2020 to supply small arms and assault rifles to the army’s Special Frontier Force (SFF). Reports have said that German arms manufacturer Heckler and Koch, whose MP5 submachine guns have been part of the armoury of the National Security Guards (NSG) and Marine Commando (Marcos) units, has withdrawn from the Indian market saying it lacked approval from the German government. In November 2019, three months after the Centre had revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and restricted movement and communication, Germany had expressed reservations about the clampdown and concern for the people of the region. Germany had earlier too restricted arms export to India citing poor human rights records in states such as Gujarat, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. According to the Telegraph India, a defence ministry official recalled that Germany had, during the Kargil conflict of 1999, halted technology transfer for India’s indigenously made Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv and withheld replacement parts and supplies for German equipment.   https://dunyanews.tv/en/World/589069-Germany-declines-arms-export-to-India-for-poor-human-rights-record 

 

Weekly update -76: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Feb ,9,  2021 to Feb., 15 , 2021

1.    Human rights violations: Feb., 14, 2021: Indian brutalities at peak in IIOJK https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/13/indian-brutalities-at-peak-in-iiojk/

2.    37^th. anniversary of Mqbool Bhat commemorated: Feb., 15. 2021: Kashmiri diaspora commemorated the 37^th anniversary of the martyrdom of Kashmiri icon Maqbool Butt with a renewed commitment to achieve the hero's dream: self-determination as prescribed by the United Nations, international law, and moral justice. Since his execution, February 11 has been observed by all Kashmiris as a black day of mourning for the martyr of a brave Kashmiri statesman. This year’s webinar was attended by speakers from the United States and abroad. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum said, “11 February is a somber day but at the same time a day of remembrance and a day to revitalize our resolve to be true to the mission of Martyr Maqbool Bhat. Maqbool Bhat's life has inspired countless Kashmiris to persist in the struggle for self-determination against India's intransigence. His vision of a free and fair Kashmiri self-determination on its sovereign destiny did not die with his death. He gave his life for the cause because he believed in it with all sincerity and honesty.” Maqbool Bhat gave a lesson to the generations to come that it is very hard but only choice to accept martyrdom instead of slavery. His courage demonstrated such savagery would backfire, and intensify the Kashmir resistance.  Dr. Fai added, while we must pay rich tributes to the memory of this great martyr, our true tribute will be emancipation of the Kashmiri people from under the Indian brutal occupation and senseless subjugation. Javed Rathore continued: “Indian authorities could jail Maqbool Bhat and silence him by execution but they could not silence his ultimate desire - the struggle for the people of Kashmir. The spirit of Maqbool Bhat is alive. Today, he is an inspiration to millions of Kashmiris and those striving for human rights and human dignity. Claire Bidwel, Chairperson, “Let Kashmiris Decide” Scotland,discussed in detilas her initiative to shake the conscience of the world leaders to come to rescue the leader of Kashmiri political resistance movement – Mohammad Yasin Malik. Her signature campaign has already received thousands of responses all over the world. Ariful Haq Arif, senior most journalist who knew Maqbool Bhat personally when he met him in Karachi, quoted him saying, “We faced every form of torture with the belief that this (new) challenge we are facing will ultimately bring revolution to our thinking.” Arif said that Maqbool Butt was certainly a charismatic leader who gave his today for the betterment of tomorrow. His dastardly death will inspire living Kashmiris for ages. Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi, a well-known scholar said that Maqbool Butt was undoubtedly, a selfless leader and we, the people of Kashmir miss him dearly. His dastardly death will inspire living Kashmiris for the ages, just as Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination did in the United States. Sardar Shoaib Irshad, the organizer of the webinar, quoted Maqbool Bhat Shaheed, “The children of oppressors are provided with all the luxuries and comfort of the world, but the children of resistance leaders are not attracted to these kinds of luxuries and comfort. They get satisfaction from struggling against the system of oppression.” Dr. Akhlaq Barlas, prominent Kashmir scholar and leader said, Maqbool Butt was hanged by India's authorities for protesting their illegal and iron-fisted occupation of Kashmir since 1947. Kashmiri diaspora must get united and seek representation from all zones of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Mohammad Arshad Shah, (Canada) said, Maqbool Bhat had previously been tortured and inhumanely imprisoned as part of India's state sponsored terrorism in the disputed territory of Kashmir. We must intensify our activities so that his mission remains alive. Sardar Naseem Iqbal (England), a well-known community leader, urged everybody to take a leaf from the long history of Kashmir which is full of trials and tribulations. Those who contemplate on the past will ultimately come closer to achieve their objective – the freedom for the people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan spoke from Islamabad that the sacrifice of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat will never be wasted. The blood of Kashmiri martyrs brings the goal for freedom and justice nearer. Sardar Zubair Khan said that the lesson of the martyrdom of Bhat Sahib is that we should be consciously ready to give sacrifices for the cause as was demonstrated by our leader. Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan said that Maqbool Bhat has given us an important message that we may have to give more sacrifices till the whole nation is liberated. Tariq Khan, Canada said that the decision of Raja Farooq Haider, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir to announce February 11^th a holiday is the right step in the right direction. But on this day, we must highlight the contribution of Maqbool Bhat to our younger generation through organizing seminar, debates and conferences. Raja Liaqat Kiyani, President, Kashmir House, Washington said that people of Azad Kashmir are united in pursuing the mission of Maqbool Bhat irrespective of their party affiliations and political beliefs. Sardar Zarif Khan, President, Washington Chapter of Kashmir Solidarity Council and the emcee of the event, said Maqbool Butt was undoubtedly, a selfless leader and we, the people of Kashmir miss him dearly. While paying tribute to Shaheed Maqbool Bhat, Zarif said that worldly luxuries meant nothing to Bhat. He always preferred a day of freedom to a life of luxuries without any freedom. At the conclusion of the event, it was demanded that the Government of India return the mortal remains of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat and Shaheed Afzal Guru to their relatives in Kashmir. It has been a sacrilege to have kept them in India for thirty-seven callous years respectively. Other speakers included:Hamid Malik; Shakeel Ahmed Janjua ; Sajjad Baloch; Zahid Khan; Aftab Khan; Azmat Khan; Mujeeb Kazi; Raheel Shaikh

 

Weekly update -75: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Feb 2, 2021 to Feb., 8 , 2021

1.    HR violations: Feb., 2, 2021:In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, unrelenting military siege imposed by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on August 05, 2019, continues to take a heavy toll on daily life of the Kashmiri people in the territory. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service , today, revealed that the Indian troops martyred 308 Kashmiris including 7 women during the period. Most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters or in custody. Youth are picked up from their homes during so-called cordon and search operations and are eliminated after being labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers. The killing by the troops during the period rendered 16 women widowed and 38 children orphaned. The report maintained that at least 1,701 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force, bullets, pellets and teargas shelling by the Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. The troops damaged over 993 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 103 women and arrested 14,489 people during the period. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/01/indian-troops-martyr-308-kashmiris-during-18-months-siege/ 

 

 

Weekly update -74: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Jan 26, 2020 to Feb., 1 , 2021

1.    Youth martyred: Jan., 30, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Tral area of Pulwama district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Mandoora area of Tral.   Indian police arrested a youth from a check-post in Patushahi area of Bandipora. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/29/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk/

2.    Farooq: Jan.,31, 2021: Wamiq Farooq   On January 31, 2010, after offering noon-time prayers at a mosque and eating lunch with his family, Wamiq tucked a cricket ball into his pocket, waved to his mother through the window and left. He never returned. Later that evening, Wamiq was hit on the head by a tear-smoke shell that was allegedly fired at close range by constable Mohamad Akram of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the orders of ASI Abdul Khaliq. The police later justified their action in the FIR (12/2010), claiming that “in order to disperse the unruly mob, the mild force was used such as tear-smoke shells, as a result, thereof one shell hit a boy who was taken by the locals to the hospital…” However, key eyewitnesses have contested the narrative, “There was no mob or any incident of stone-pelting, even the nearby shops were open, everything was normal.”  On August 22, 2013, the chief judicial magistrate of Srinagar issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Abdul Khaliq Sofi and Mohammad Akram after the prima-facie guilt of the accused was established based on a judicial inquiry and police probe.  However, no arrests were made.  The case also went to the Supreme Court, and on April 7, 2015, it asked the trial court Srinagar to proceed with a trial in the case “uninfluenced” by findings of the SIT and observations of the J&K high court.  As a result, on his 11th death anniversary, justice still evades Wamiq Farooq and his family. https://thewire.in/rights/wamiq-farooq-killing-kashmir-2010-justice

 

3.      illings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

 

 

 

Weekly update -73: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Jan 19, 2020 to Jan., 25 , 2021

1.     UK and Kashmir: Jan., 21, 2021:  MP Debbie Abrahams of the All Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group has raised concerns about human rights violations, revocation of special status and illegal detentions in Indian held Kashmir in an official letter to UK PM Boris Johnson. MP Debbie Abrahams in her letter said that the Group consists of parliamentarians from all faiths and Kashmiri Indian and Pakistani heritage. Our focus has been on promoting human rights across all parts of Kashmir. She said. “While I fully support your endeavours to strengthen international relations which support jobs and investment across the UK I need to make you aware of the strongly held views parliamentarians of all political parties have regarding the primacy of human rights and that these cannot be compromised in any trade deal. The Group is particularly concerned about escalating violence across Indian administered Kashmir (particularly Jammu and Kashmir) and most recently at the Line of Control.“I am sure you will agree with me that for the world s largest democracy to be reported to be behaving in these ways is very alarming. “Given our key role in the international community we believe it is essential that you and the government more widely raise these very serious concerns directly in your on-going discussions with Prime Minister Modi and his government. I also repeat the concerns raised by Group members that the protection of fundamental human rights must not be traded for economic gain and would like your reassurance that any trade deal will make this explicit. As the UK government embarks on a year for Global Britain on the world stage, it is essential that we set out our stall with the rule of law and human rights at its heart. “I draw your attention to the warning that your own High Commission in Pakistan made to the Group delegation in February 2020 and which I reported to Lord Ahmad the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan both nuclear powers makes Kashmir the number one security concern in the world. The recent conflict between India and China adds to this. I urge you to raise these matters with Prime Minister Modi in your ongoing discussions and when you visit India.” https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/776474-boris-urged-to-talk-held-kashmir-abuses-with-modi

2.    Gaw Kadal massacre: Jan., 22, 2021:In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown is being observed in Gaw Kadal and its adjoining areas in Srinagar, today, on the completion of 31 years to the horrible Gaw Kadal massacre. Call for the shutdown has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and supported by other Hurriyat organizations. Indian troops had killed more than 50 innocent people in Gaw Kadal area of Srinagar on this day in 1990 by opening indiscriminate fire on peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the molestation of several women by the troops on the previous night. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/21/shutdown-in-srinagar-on-gaw-kadal-massacre-anniversary/

3.    UK MP: Jan., 23, 2021: KEIGHLEY MP Robbie Moore has called on the Government to press for a UN-led investigation into allegations of genocide by the Indian authorities in Kashmir. Speaking in Parliament, Mr Moore said the situation in the region was “harrowing”.It is claimed that several hundred Kashmiris have been killed and many more injured, plus hundreds of homes destroyed, since special status for Kashmir was revoked. It’s also alleged that thousands of people have been arrested “without due cause”.“A number of local organisations and individuals have contacted me over the past 12 months in relation to this issue. I know it is close to the hearts of many of my constituents who originated from Kashmir. “I would like to see UN human rights officials get access to both sides of the line of control, to find out the facts. https://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/19030627.keighley-mp-seeks-probe-kashmir-genocide-claims/

4.    Human rights in India : an., 23, 2021: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy organization dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, has launched a report titled, “Crushing Dissent: 2021 Status Report on Human Rights in India,” detailing human rights abuses in India. At the launch of this report, UN Special Rapporteur Ms. Mary Lawlor called upon the Indian government to immediately release 16 human rights defenders who have been imprisoned on charges of terrorism in the ‘Bhima-Koregaon Case’. “These people should not be in jail. They are our modern-day heroes and we should all be looking to them and supporting them and demanding their release,” Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, said on Thursday. Along with Father Stan Swamy, the octogenarian Jesuit priest against whose “arbitrary detention” in this case she has already written to the Indian Government, Ms. Lawlor said 15 others jailed in the same case must also be released. Ms. Lawlor while read out the names of the imprisoned rights activists who have worked to uphold the rights of the others should be acknowledged and they are Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Fereria; Supreme Court lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj; authors Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde; poet Varvara Rao; academicians Hany Babu and Shoma Sen; and theater artistes Ramesh Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe and Jyoti Jagtap. The so-called Bhima-Koregaon case refers to violence at a public meeting called three years ago by low-caste Hindus at a village known as Bhima-Koregaon in Maharashtra state. Several civil rights investigations have established that upper caste Hindus allied with India’s ruling party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, carried out the violence. Police have; however, targeted human rights defenders, who deny their involvement. Ms. Lawlor, whose three-year term as UN Special Rapporteur began last May, also called out the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), under which the Bhima-Koregaon accused have been charged, as among the “several prominent pieces of legislation that would appear on paper and in practice to undermine rights contained in the covenant and the work of human rights defenders.”Amendments to the UAPA made in 2019, which granted “greater powers” to designate individuals as terrorists “despite the definition of a terrorist act not being precise or concrete,” failed to “comply with the principles of legal certainty,” Ms. Lawlor said. “This has opened up the Act, which was already being used to target human rights defenders, to greater abuse. In 2020, it continued to be applied against human rights defenders with the extremely damaging effect of conflating the defense of human rights with terrorist activities,” Ms. Lawlor said, adding, there was “a very concerning deterioration of the environment for defending human rights” in India. Saying that India’s human rights “situation is very serious,” Ms. Lawlor said she sent “six communications” to the Indian Government since May to “convey our concerns on human rights issues”. India had responded to just one. In June she wrote to the Indian Government raising concerns over the arrest of 11 human rights defenders for protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “However, this communication has gone unanswered.” Noted human rights defender Teesta Setalvad said “among human rights defenders who are today incarcerated, besides those mentioned by Mr. Lawlor, we have a list of almost 23 very young and dynamic human rights defenders incarcerated in post February 2020 anti-Muslim pogrom in Delhi. Among the 23, almost 19 happened to be young Muslims activists, who actually came into the forefront of leadership to resist the draconian citizenship Amendment Act. These young activists were deliberately targeted by the state because of their clarity, courage and determination. “The lower caste (the untouchables) have been singularly targeted for thousands of years and subjected to othering and discrimination by the dominant caste. Then, it is the Muslim community who is facing discrimination and marginalization for the last 40 years. And since the 1990s, Indian Christian community has also been subject to this kind of othering. added Teesta. The Indian Government had arrested Father Stan Swamy only because he had worked for four decades for the uplift of the poor tribal people in Jharkhand state, Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and a human rights defender, said. Fr. Swamy became an obstacle for successive governments who, “in collusion with vested interest, especially those who deplete the forests of the precious resources, like the mining mafia, the timber merchants,” wanted to wrest control of the forests from the tribal people. “Fr. Swamy was fighting for the release of more than 3000 tribal youth, struggling for their rights, accompanying them in their legal battles, and so on.” Former Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon said “the notion that India is a great secular democracy has become a cloak to conceal the extent of the injustice.” The foundation on which is India’s judiciary, parliamentary and education systems have been “extensively eroded” as Mr. Modi’s government’s “passing discriminatory laws, neutralizing judges and cultivating a BJP controlled police force is at an advanced stage.” IAMC National General Secretary Mohammad Jawad said “This exhaustive report’s coverage of all the aspects — from the sedition laws and hate speech, to national security legislation and the criminalization of dissent, from the questions on the independence of the judiciary to the dilution of labor laws and the universal health policies — demonstrates how the Modi government is set to undo decades of positive and progressive work in India.” IAMC will share the 2021 Human Rights report, “Crushing Dissent”, with members of US Congress, the White House, the Department of State, the National Security Council, think-tanks, the US academia and research community and the civil rights activists and NGOs, he added. https://twocircles.net/2021jan22/440701.html 

Weekly update -72: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Jan 12, 2020 to Jan., 18 , 2021

1.     HRW Report: Jan., 16, 2021: A prominent international human rights watchdog has denounced Narendra Modi-led Indian government for intensifying repression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, targeting Muslims in India and for harassing, arresting and prosecuting activists, journalists, and others critics. In its World Report 2021, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Indian government continued to impose harsh and discriminatory restrictions in IIOJK since revoking special status of the territory in August 2019. The report said scores of people remained detained in IIOJK without charge under the draconian law Public Safety Act, which permits detention without trial for up to two years. It said, the Indian government announced a new media policy in Kashmir in June 2020 that empowers the authorities to decide what is “fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities” and to take punitive action against media outlets, journalists, and editors. “The policy contains vague provisions that are open to abuse and could unnecessarily restrict and penalize legally protected speech. The government also clamped down on critics, journalists, and human rights activists,” it said. “The restrictions, including on access to communications networks, since August 2019 adversely affected livelihoods, particularly in the tourism-dependent Kashmir Valley. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries estimated that the first three months of the lockdown to prevent protests since August 2019 cost the economy over US$2.4 billion, for which no redress was provided. Losses nearly doubled since the government imposed further restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020,” it added. The report said the pandemic made access to the internet crucial for information, communication, education, and business. However, even after the Supreme Court said in January that access to the internet was a fundamental right, the Indian authorities permitted only slow-speed 2G mobile internet services, leading doctors to complain that the lack of internet was hurting the Covid-19 response, it said. The report maintained that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act continued to provide effective immunity from prosecution to Indian forces, even for serious human rights abuses. In July, the forces’ personnel killed three people in Shopian district, claiming they were militants, it said. “However, in August, their families, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers. In September, the army said that its inquiry had found prima facie evidence that its troops exceeded powers under the AFSPA and it would take disciplinary proceedings against those “answerable”,” it added. The HRW said that the Indian forces also continued to use shotguns firing metal pellets to disperse crowds, despite evidence that they are inherently inaccurate and cause injuries indiscriminately, including to bystanders, violating India’s international obligations. In the 761-page World Report 2021, its 31st edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries.In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth argues that the incoming United States administration should embed respect for human rights in its domestic and foreign policy in a way that is more likely to survive future US administrations that might be less committed to human rights. Roth emphasizes that even as the Trump administration mostly abandoned the protection of human rights, other governments stepped forward to champion rights. The Biden administration should seek to join, not supplant, this new collective effort. The HRW pointed out that the attacks continued against minorities, especially Muslims, in India even as authorities failed to take action against BJP leaders who vilified Muslims and BJP supporters who engaged in violence. The Covid-19 lockdown disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihoods and lack of food, shelter, healthcare, and other basic needs, it said. “The Indian government seems determined to punish peaceful criticism using draconian laws, while sending a broader message that chills dissent,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Instead of addressing growing attacks on Muslims, minorities, and women, Indian authorities increased their crackdown on critical voices in 2020,” she added. The report said that last February communal violence in Delhi killed at least 53 people, with over 200 injured, properties destroyed, and communities displaced in targeted attacks by Hindu mobs. While a policeman and several Hindus were also killed, the vast majority of victims were Muslim. The attacks came after weeks of peaceful protests against the Indian government’s discriminatory citizenship policies. “Violence broke out after BJP leaders openly advocated violence against the protesters, while witness accounts and video evidence showed police complicity. The Delhi Minorities Commission reported that the violence was “planned and targeted” and found that the police were filing cases against Muslim victims, but not taking action against the BJP leaders who incited it,” the report said. The HRW said that crimes against Dalits increased, in part as backlash by members of dominant castes against what they might perceive as a challenge to caste hierarchy. “Crimes against women increased too. In September, a 19-year old Dalit woman died after being gang-raped and tortured, allegedly by four men of dominant caste in Uttar Pradesh. The authorities’ response highlighted how women from marginalized communities faced even greater institutional barriers to justice,” it added. The report maintained that the intensifying repression in India resulted in international criticism, including by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who raised concerns over human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, arrests of activists, and restrictions on civil society. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/15/hrw-slams-india-for-hr-abuses-in-iiojk-attacks-against-muslims-and-crackdown-on-critics/

Weekly update -71: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from  Jan 5, 2020 to Jan., 11, 2021

1.     Non judicial murder: Jan., 11, 2021: Preliminary investigations conducted by the army’s Court of Inquiry, as well as the J&K police, have found that Captain Bhoopendra Singh of 62 RR regiment, aided by two civilian informers, had “staged” the July 8 encounter in Kashmir’s Amshipora and “killed” three daily wage laborers working in apple orchards, allegedly to claim a cash bounty of Rs 20 lakh granted by the army as reward for killing terrorists. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-captain-stage-managed-jk-encounter-for-rs-20-lakh/articleshow/80203557.cms

2.      

 

Weekly update -70: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Dec 29, 2020 to Jan., 4, 2021 1. Human rights violations in IOK: Dec., 31, 2020: The Indian occupied forces conducted 312 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs) resulted in 124 encounters in which 232 freedom fighters embraced martyrdom during the year, said a report issued on Wednesday. Such annual report was prepared by the Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK) on human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir which covers the period from January 1 to December 30, 2020. According to the report, the Indian forces destroyed 657 houses during such operations. The martyrs included 65 civilians, 232 freedom fighters while 177 Indian forces were also killed. The Indian forced launched broad-day inhuman attacks on Kashmir’s civil society, raiding residencies and offices of human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organizations, it added. The year witnessed 65 extra judicial killings of civilians. The destruction of civilian properties during encounters saw an increase during the COVID-19 lockdown enforced by the government; an entire village in Budgam district was vandalized rendering many families homeless and without shelter, it said. According to report, the journalists working for Kashmir and international media continued to be pressurized, intimidation and harassment by the Indian authorities. Many journalists were booked under criminal laws while one still remains behind bars amid delayed trial by the puppet government agencies. The authorities launched new media policy in which government holds full control on newspapers and magazines. The year witnessed the continuation of the ban on internet services which remain enforce since August 5 2019. The right to access to information continues to be restricted in Jammu and Kashmir as part of India’s all-out onslaught against Kashmiris as there were 141 instances of internet blockades recorded from January 1 to December 30 2020. This year saw one of the worst assaults on human rights when India rushed its agencies to Kashmir which raided residencies and offices of Journalists, human rights workers and civil society organizations. In early November, India’s so-called anti-terror body NIA raided residence of Khurram Parvez, Parvaiz Bukhari besides others. The raids were held on rights bodies offices, NGOs. This is unprecedented wherein Journalists and human rights defenders are put under such humiliation, said the report.https://www.app.com.pk/national/indian-forces-raided-civil-society-destroyed-657-houses-during-2020-says-lfovk-annual-report/ 2. Youth martyred: Dec., 31, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth were martyred in Lawaypora area of the city. The martyred youth were identified as Zubair Ahmad, Aijaz Maqbool and Athar Mushtaq from Shopian and Pulwama districts. The troops destroyed several residential houses. The family members and relatives of the martyred youth staged protest demonstrations in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian. They said that the youth were students, who were killed in a fake encounter by the troops. Shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans, they demanded the dead bodies of the martyrs. The family members of martyr, Aijaz Maqbool, said that he had left home a day ago to appear in an examination at Kashmir University. However, they were stunned when they saw his picture on social media. Around dozen people were injured after Indian troops used brute force and fired pellets on protesters in Srinagar. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/30/indian-troops-martyr-3-youth-in-srinagar/ 3. Land Grab: Jan., 4, 2021: “A housing colony for soldiers on even 10 acres of land is a big problem for us. Soldiers will need security and that means a continuous movement of soldiers. If they are attacked, we will have to face the music,” Dar said. A similar proposal had in 2016 triggered protests by pro-freedom groups. Masood Khan, “expressed serious concern over Indian government’s move to build the first military settlement in Budgam.” Abdul Samad Malla, an elderly resident of Rakh-e-Arth, told Anadolu Agency that an exclusive housing colony for retired Kashmiri soldiers at Rakh-e-Arth could be a precursor to similar projects for retired soldiers from outside.“This is an explosive situation. We won’t allow any soldiers’ settlement here. The government has failed to develop this piece of land for decades. Rather than developing this Noted human rights activist Ahsan Untoo questioned the need for a soldiers housing colony in the “most militarized region in the world.” “When an army convoy passes by on highways, all traffic comes to a standstill. This is a gross human rights violation. Patients, office goers, students suffer. Now imagine the situation of a soldiers’ colony in the midst of a civilian settlement,” he said. Untoo cited examples of several places in northern Kashmir, like Kupwara, where India military camps in the proximity of civilian areas have curtailed people’s movement. Three Sainik colonies already exist in the Jammu province of the Jammu and Kashmir region. Several Indian states also have colonies where subsidized housing is provided for retired soldiers. A plan to build the first one in Kashmir fell through after protests by pro-freedom groups in 2016. At the time of the protests, Tarun Vijay, a Hindu right-wing member of Indian parliament, who had mooted the idea of setting up such colonies in Kashmir in parliament, had told the media that “a Sainik colony would be like planting saffron in Kashmir.” Saffron is the sacred color for Hindus and several of the ruling Hindu right-wing’s symbols, like flags, have saffron color. Vijay had said a Sainik colony would bring "fragrance of Indianness and principal mainstream of patriotic India to overcome the smell of stone-pelting and guns.” https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-residents-say-they-won-t-allow-soldiers-colony/2095766 4. Cost of Kashmir struggle HR Violations (From Jan 1989 till Nov 30, 2020) Total Killings 95,724 Custodial Killings 7,155 Civilian arrested 161,163 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 110,375 Women Widowed 22,924 Children Orphaned 107,811 Women gang-raped / Molested 11,231 (Nov 2020) Total Killings 15 Custodial Killings 5 Tortured/Injured 97 Pellet Injured : 0 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 0 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 0 Civilian arrested 31 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 1 Women Widowed 2 Children Orphaned 6 Women gang-raped / Molested 7 From July 8, 2016) Atrocities by Indian Troops (Jan-30 Nov 2020 ) Total Killings 249 Custodial Killings 19 Tortured/Injured 739 Total pellet Injured 139 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 8 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 21 Civilian arrested 2760 Arson (Houses etc) 918 Women Widowed 12 Children Orphaned 26 Women gang-raped / Molested 56 Atrocities Post 5 Aug 2019 (Aug 5, 2019- 30 Nov, 2020) Total Killings 291 Custodial Killings 27 Tortured/Injured 1577 Total pellet Injured 446 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 19 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 144 Civilian arrested 14219 Arson (Houses etc) 976 Women Widowed 16 Children Orphaned 36 Women disgraced / Molested 94 Kashmir Media service Weekly update -69: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Dec 22 3030 to Dec 28, 2020 1. OKC: Dec., 21, 2020: Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) organised a virtual conference on the Human Rights Day on the theme Human Rights & The New USA Administration - Impact on South Asia (With Special Reference to Jammu & Kashmir). Alfred de Zayas, (the First (former) Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order) stated that he has advocated throughout, particularly since his Report to the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, that peoples self-determination is the best mechanism for conflict prevention and a pre-condition to global stability. He added that the world constitution is the Charter of the United Nations which lays down the purposes and principles (in particular Articles 1&2) for the world order including the peoples inalienable right to self-determination affirmed in other covenants and conventions of the UN. Professor de Zayas articulated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have right to exercise their self-determination today because they are occupied and denied by the fascist regime at New Delhi; India simply cannot annex the people and territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He urged that there should not be any obstruction to peoples right to self-determination and no violation of fundamental international law. Referring to the United States of America (the US), Professor de Zayas lamented that the US spends 40% of its budget on building its arms industry, selling weapons to other countries such as India. He urged the Kashmiri activists to lobby the General Assembly and the Security Council to place arms embargo on India. He is happy to see that Trump is gone but believes that the Biden/Harris administration is unlikely to make a huge change in the US foreign policy on human rights but believes that the level of predictability could be there which is crucial for international order While dwelling on the upcoming new Biden/Harris administration, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed analysed that the Trump administration pursued the ideological foreign policy on China and Iran putting Israel first; this has evolved a new cold war; the new administration has to face these challenges; therefore, it is likely to adopt far more principle stand on human rights issues than real politique this would mean that the Kashmir factor becomes crucial and Pakistan has now the opportunity to raise this issue forcefully and Washington certainly has to be more responsive. Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, stated the Vice President-Elect is on record for having pledged not to leave the suffering Kashmiris alone, a possibility that may translate into reality if the international stakeholders of peace on Kashmir are able to generate enough diplomatic momentum in the light of current Indian repression in the disputed region. Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Founding Member of the German Greens and one of the first Green members of the German Parliament and the European Parliament, in his short presentation suggested that the Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) need to include other credible organisations in the coalition such as media organisations to give a wider voice to the Kashmir cause. He was pleased to note that Reporters Without Frontiers included a Kashmiri journalist in the last 12 finalists. Mr Schwalba-Hoth stated that over the years he has worked closely with the US diplomats within the EU corridors and believes that under the new Biden/Harris administration these diplomats are prepared to do much more on human rights and Kashmir as against the Trump administration. He is optimistic to persuade the new US administration to act as an honest broker on Kashmir bringing together Kashmiris, Pakistan and India involving civil societies such as OKC to bring about an acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He believes that the Biden/Harris administration should take this initiative as they have nothing to lose. Professor Joseph Wronka, Professor of Social Work, Springfield College, MA; Fulbright in Pakistan and Austria, 2015; Representative to the UN in Geneva for the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), identified that the Biden administration with its multilateral approach to global interventions and intends to re-join the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, and the Paris Climate Accord is in direct contrast to the Trump administration's approach. Yet, policies often represent public sentiment, and the USA needs massive human rights education to better understand, if not counteract feelings of American exceptionalism. The world needs also to understand and take direct non-violent actions as a global community to understand the seriousness of the Jammu Kashmir situation both nuclear armed countries. Barrister A. Majid Tramboo, OKC Leadership and IHRAAM’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who moderated the conference, in his introductory remarks stated that, that the new US administration under the leadership of Joe Biden wants to cool down the anger among the Muslims in the world; policies of the previous administration were discriminatory and not in conformity with the liberal democratic traditions of the US Democratic Party. In a perspective of this change of administration. OKC has to work towards finding a country that would be prepared to initiate proceedings at the ICJ. https://nation.com.pk/21-Dec-2020/organisation-on-kashmir-coalition-issues-report-on-human-rights-day 2. UN on Kashmir and Delhi: Dec., 24, 2020: Three United Nations human rights experts have called on India to “immediately” stop its intimidation and a series of reprisals against Amnesty International (AI) in response to the organization’s work in exposing human rights violations in India, especially in occupied Kashmir and during the February anti-Muslim riots in Delhi. London-based Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, halted operations in India in September after its bank accounts were frozen and its executives interrogated by Indian financial authorities, in what AI called was a two-year campaign of harassment. In a second joint letter sent to India from Geneva, the UN experts recounted the systematic harassment being inflicted by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out the “illegal freezing” of the bank accounts under the the Foreign Contribution Regulation (FCRA) law, which is incompatible with international human rights standards. The signatories of the letter include prominent experts such as Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and of association; and Ms. Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. The respective retributive actions “are a strong indication that the Indian Government has tried to intimidate, muzzle and punish the Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) for its reporting on and advocacy against human rights violations in the country”.The State-sanctioned smear campaign against Amnesty, evident from media leakage of a dossier on AI by Indian investigative agencies, was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the reputation, the experts said, and called for unfreeze the organization’s bank accounts. The joint letter was sent by the experts, also known as UN Special Procedures or Rapporteurs, to India on 21 October 2020, and made public on Monday after India did not respond to it within the given deadline of 60 days. In October, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have already publicly voiced her serious dismay over the tightening of space for human rights organizations in India and appealed to New Delhi to safeguard the rights of human rights defenders, and their ability to carry out their crucial work. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/23/un-experts-slam-india-for-targeting-rights-groups-exposing-abuses-in-kashmir-delhi-pogroms 3. Youth martyred: Dec., 27, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kanigam area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/26/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-11/ Weekly update -68: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Dec 15 3030 to Dec 21, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Dec., 15, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Poonch district.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Dugran along the Mughal road in Poonch district on Sunday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/13/indian-troops-kill-two-youth-in-iiojk/ Weekly update -67: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Dec 9 3030 to Dec 15, 2020 1. Land grab: Dec., 8, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, after destroying houses of Muslims in Jammu and in Pahlgam area of Islamabad district, now Modi-led fascist Indian government has issued eviction notices to Kashmiri Muslims living in Badgam district. The locals told media that the authorities had started demolishing their houses and chopping down apple trees in Branwar, Kanidajan and several other areas of the district. The residents including a 108 years old woman said that they had been living there for generations, and would not leave the areas even if they were killed by the Modi government. It goes without saying that driven by Hindutva mindset, the RSS-backed Indian government is working on an Israeli plan to change the demography of the occupied territory by settling Indian army officers, soldiers and Hindus from India on the forcibly vacated land in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/07/eviction-notices-issued-to-badgam-residents/ 2. Youth martyred: Dec., 10, 2020: December 09 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Tiken area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/09/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-2/ 3. Journalists beaten: Dec., 11, 2020: Three Kashmiri reporters told a local journalistic body, the Kashmir Press Club that they were beaten up by the police in southern Kashmir on Wednesday while covering an election. Fayaz Lolu, who reports from restive southern Kashmir for the local news outlet ETV Bharat, told Anadolu Agency that he and two other reporters, Mudasir Qadri, who works for News 18 Urdu, and Junaid Rafiq, a stringer for TV9, were interviewing a candidate who alleged his party’s supporters were not being allowed to vote by the Indian government forces in the Srigufwara area of the Anantnag district. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-3-reporters-say-they-were-beaten-by-police/2072086 4. Human rights in IOK: Dec., 11, 2020: As the World Human Rights Day is being observed across the globe, today, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to reel under brutal Indian occupation. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day, today, said that Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 was indeed a milestone, but the Kashmiris human rights continued to be violated with impunity. It said among 30 basic human rights enlisted in the UDHR, not even one exists in IIOJK. The report said that Indian occupational forces had been violating the UDHR in the occupied territory for the last over 7 decades and mercilessly killing, arresting, torturing and humiliating innocent Kashmiris of every age and gender for demanding their right to self-determination. The report pointed out that Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 95,728 innocent Kashmiris including 7,155 in custody since January 1989 till date. It said that these killings rendered 22,924 women widowed and 107,811 children orphaned. It said that the troops molested or disgraced 11,231 women and damaged 110,375 residential houses and other structures. It maintained that Indian troops and police personnel subjected over 8,000 people to custodial disappearance in the period. The report maintained that thousands of young school boys and girls were also injured by the pellets fired by the troops while dozens including19-month-old Hibba Jan, Asif Ahmed Sheikh (10), Aaqib Zahoor (16), Ulfat Hameed (17), Bilal Ahmed Butt (17), Insha Mushtaq, Tariq Ahmed Gojri (19) and Faizan Ashraf Tantray (19) lost their eyesight completely due to the pellet injuries. The report pointed out that 295 Kashmiris including 7 women have been martyred, 27 of them in fake encounters or custody, since repeal of special status of IIOJK and imposition of military siege by Narendra Modi-led fascist government on 5th August 2019 in the territory. It said that the troops molested 94 women after barging into the residential houses in the period. The report said that the occupation authorities did not allow people to offer Friday prayers at historical Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and other mosques, shrines and imambargahs of the territory for months together after August 05, last year. It said, the authorities have also disallowed the masses to hold religious gatherings like Muharram and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) processions during this period. The report said life remains badly affected and economy adversely hurt in IIOJK due to the continued military siege and ban on 4G internet services. It said Hurriyat leaders and activists including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Ghulam Muhammad Butt and businessman Zahoor Watali continue to remain in detention in New Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail in fake cases registered against them. Thousands of people including Hurriyat leaders and activists like Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Advocate Zahid Ali, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Yusuf Falahi, Zahoor Ahmed, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Mir Hafeezullah, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and journalist, Aasif Sultan, remain lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India under black law, Public Safety Act, it added. The report maintained that the occupation authorities have kept the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, and Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house detention since long time and have not allowed them to carry out their political activities and even they have not been allowed to offer Friday prayers and address public meetings. Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders in their separate statements have appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to send their teams to take stock of the worst human rights situation in the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/10/indian-troops-martyr-95728-kashmiris-since-jan-1989/ Weekly update -67: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Dec 9 3030 to Dec 15, 2020 1. Land grab: Dec., 8, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, after destroying houses of Muslims in Jammu and in Pahlgam area of Islamabad district, now Modi-led fascist Indian government has issued eviction notices to Kashmiri Muslims living in Badgam district. The locals told media that the authorities had started demolishing their houses and chopping down apple trees in Branwar, Kanidajan and several other areas of the district. The residents including a 108 years old woman said that they had been living there for generations, and would not leave the areas even if they were killed by the Modi government. It goes without saying that driven by Hindutva mindset, the RSS-backed Indian government is working on an Israeli plan to change the demography of the occupied territory by settling Indian army officers, soldiers and Hindus from India on the forcibly vacated land in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/07/eviction-notices-issued-to-badgam-residents/ 2. Youth martyred: Dec., 10, 2020: December 09 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Tiken area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/09/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-2/ 3. Journalists beaten: Dec., 11, 2020: Three Kashmiri reporters told a local journalistic body, the Kashmir Press Club that they were beaten up by the police in southern Kashmir on Wednesday while covering an election. Fayaz Lolu, who reports from restive southern Kashmir for the local news outlet ETV Bharat, told Anadolu Agency that he and two other reporters, Mudasir Qadri, who works for News 18 Urdu, and Junaid Rafiq, a stringer for TV9, were interviewing a candidate who alleged his party’s supporters were not being allowed to vote by the Indian government forces in the Srigufwara area of the Anantnag district. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-3-reporters-say-they-were-beaten-by-police/2072086 4. Human rights in IOK: Dec., 11, 2020: As the World Human Rights Day is being observed across the globe, today, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to reel under brutal Indian occupation. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day, today, said that Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 was indeed a milestone, but the Kashmiris human rights continued to be violated with impunity. It said among 30 basic human rights enlisted in the UDHR, not even one exists in IIOJK. The report said that Indian occupational forces had been violating the UDHR in the occupied territory for the last over 7 decades and mercilessly killing, arresting, torturing and humiliating innocent Kashmiris of every age and gender for demanding their right to self-determination. The report pointed out that Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 95,728 innocent Kashmiris including 7,155 in custody since January 1989 till date. It said that these killings rendered 22,924 women widowed and 107,811 children orphaned. It said that the troops molested or disgraced 11,231 women and damaged 110,375 residential houses and other structures. It maintained that Indian troops and police personnel subjected over 8,000 people to custodial disappearance in the period. The report maintained that thousands of young school boys and girls were also injured by the pellets fired by the troops while dozens including19-month-old Hibba Jan, Asif Ahmed Sheikh (10), Aaqib Zahoor (16), Ulfat Hameed (17), Bilal Ahmed Butt (17), Insha Mushtaq, Tariq Ahmed Gojri (19) and Faizan Ashraf Tantray (19) lost their eyesight completely due to the pellet injuries. The report pointed out that 295 Kashmiris including 7 women have been martyred, 27 of them in fake encounters or custody, since repeal of special status of IIOJK and imposition of military siege by Narendra Modi-led fascist government on 5th August 2019 in the territory. It said that the troops molested 94 women after barging into the residential houses in the period. The report said that the occupation authorities did not allow people to offer Friday prayers at historical Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and other mosques, shrines and imambargahs of the territory for months together after August 05, last year. It said, the authorities have also disallowed the masses to hold religious gatherings like Muharram and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) processions during this period. The report said life remains badly affected and economy adversely hurt in IIOJK due to the continued military siege and ban on 4G internet services. It said Hurriyat leaders and activists including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Ghulam Muhammad Butt and businessman Zahoor Watali continue to remain in detention in New Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail in fake cases registered against them. Thousands of people including Hurriyat leaders and activists like Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Advocate Zahid Ali, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Yusuf Falahi, Zahoor Ahmed, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Mir Hafeezullah, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and journalist, Aasif Sultan, remain lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India under black law, Public Safety Act, it added. The report maintained that the occupation authorities have kept the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, and Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house detention since long time and have not allowed them to carry out their political activities and even they have not been allowed to offer Friday prayers and address public meetings. Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders in their separate statements have appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to send their teams to take stock of the worst human rights situation in the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/10/indian-troops-martyr-95728-kashmiris-since-jan-1989/ Weekly update -65 & 66: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from NOV., 24, 2020 to Dec., 1, 2020 , Dec 2 3030 to Dec 8, 2020 1. State terrorism: Nov., 30, 2020: On the prior night, at about 1:30 am, Hussain was scrolling on his smartphone, tucked in his bed, when someone repeatedly banged the door to his residence in Abanshah area in Srinagar’s outskirts. When he opened the door, he stood numb as about forty troopers of the Indian Army stared at him. Moments later “I and my father walked out on the street”, he said. Neither of them were given a chance to wear shoes. “At least twenty other people”, Hussain said, were ordered out of their homes, they “stood in a line” on the dark street as the temperature dipped to 1°C. As the men and boys shivered, one trooper walked up to Hussain and said: “Yeh raat tu kabhi nahi bhulega. Yeh to shuruwat hai.” (You’ll never forget this night. This is just the beginning.). Hussain said the troops kept repeating the same questions: “Where are the militants?”, “Tell us where did they eat food?”, “Did you watch the video?”. The troopers were referring to a video recorded and released by militants who attacked a patrol group, killing two troopers, on the afternoon of 26 November in this area. Since the attack, the locals have accused the Army of raiding the neighbourhood every day and night, dragging out civilians and beating them up. More than a dozen families The Kashmir Walla spoke with in the neighbourhood claimed that more than sixty people were beaten up by the army so far. Hussain was caught in a raid on the third night since the attack. Like everyone else in the line that night, Hussain said, “We’ve no idea.” The army personnel asked the group to lie on the road, with their bellies down. Hussain looked at his father, standing adjacent to him, and bended. “Let them hit me as much as they want,” he had thought, “but not my father.” Armed with assault rifles and thick bamboo sticks, Hussain said, the army troopers thrashed the rounded up residents for nearly an hour. “We were not allowed to scream,” Hussain recalled, “or even raise our heads up.” During this, he said, one man shouted in agony: “If you are going to kill, [then] shoot us.” For Hussain, the pain didn’t numb with continued thrashing and he let out a scream. Then, “their officer walked up to me and said ‘Bol, Jai Shri Ram’, (chant Victory to Lord Ram, a rallying slogan for Hindu nationalists)” recalled Hussain. “[But] I screamed in pain then he shoved his gun in my mouth.” His father, Abdul Mir, called him to tell that two army personnel had been killed and that “you should stay there [at their relative’s house near the school], the situation is bad here.” The army personnel of 2 Rashtriya Rifle (RR) asked about him multiple times since the attack, said Adil , but the father stalled them. Two days later, on 28 November, Adil’s father called him again. This time, informing him that he had to present himself at the army camp. Shortly after the call, the teenager reached army camp, alone. “I was told by my father that many people from our locality are there,” he told The Kashmir Walla, in a phone interview on 28 November. “About thirty-five men were standing in a line and I joined them, quietly.” The army personnel, he said, asked his whereabouts. He replied, “I had my examination but they didn’t believe me.”Further, Mir said he doesn’t remember anything else but his own screams. “They were seven personnel, who kept beating me,” he said. “Two of them held me [and] others beat me up. Then they pushed me to the ground and kept beating.” Writhing in pain, Mir whispered from the other side of the phone, “What could have I done? My whole body is in pain right now. I’m angry but what can I do?” approached me.” One of the boys on the run told The Kashmir Walla on the phone: “Police do nothing. … If anybody goes to the police, he would be the first one [to be identified] that he went to police. They are worried about that.” As the scare grows with each passing night, the boys aren’t sure when they will return home. Not everybody could run from the army. Hamza Mir’s three sons — Hilal, Mehraj, and Hameed — were badly injured in the beating when the army raided on Friday night, the second day from the attack. The trio were in a hospital in Srinagar. Hamza stayed back with his wife, waiting for his own wounds to heal with time. “The army barged into our house on Friday night, at 1:30 am, and dragged all men above 18 out,” recalled Hamza. He was sitting near a kang’ir, his thighs aching from the fresh bruises, still wearing the thin checked-sweater that he wore the other midnight as he stood with nearly “thirty-five others” on the main intersection where the forces’ personnel were killed. Under the street lights, a similar choreography of terror followed the night. He, strikingly, remembered a moment from the night: “When they hit my Hilal, the youngest son, on a leg, he fell on the ground. I pleaded, ‘Sir, he is a child, don’t hit him.’ I was crying, but I was next in line.”So when the army personnel reached him, Hamza merely stood up, and said, “I don’t know where the militants are or where they were.” The army personnel took him to a nearby lamppost on the street, he said. “One of them grabbed my hands, pulled me towards the pole, and tightly held me against it,” he recalled, still shivering. “Then the rest beat me up from the back.”At least eight boys were in the hospital, undergoing treatment, near Hamza’s residence, their families told The Kashmir Walla. Hamza’s wife interrupted the men, holding a doctor’s prescription amid sobs, to say: “All of my sons are in the hospital. What will I do if they don’t return? I could feel my heart is stopping.” The daughter of Hamza’s next door neighbour, 8-year-old Iqra, witnessed the entire incident from her window — how the army also grabbed her father along with the other men and dragged him out; the screams in the dead of the night. She now feels terrorised at the sight of men in military uniforms. On Friday night’s raid, Iqra had joined other women of the hamlet to follow the army personnel, taking their kin, to plead. A few meters away from the intersection, the army blocked the way with their armoured vehicle. “I could hear my father’s screams,” said Iqra, “but I was really afraid. … I thought now they will come to beat me. I still think they will come for us.” In the second raid on the third day after the attack, after the beatings, Hussain said, at about 3 am “they asked us to run at the count of three”. “All of us stood in a line and the Army personnel again got ready with their batons; at the count of three, we ran and they hit anyone they could. I didn’t stop till I reached home.” Hussain returned home with his limping father as the women awaited them on the porch. The blood spilled on that runway is still red. Hussain looked at his father and couldn’t say anything. “I cried,” he recalled, “and ran up to my room.” Back at home, his sister, Shagufta Akhtar felt helpless and afraid, she could not call for help as the Army troopers had taken away the phones of everyone in the locality, along with passwords. “They even asked me to open the vault on the phone. I observe the hijab (modesty as ordained by Islam) and I don’t feel comfortable when someone else sees my photos. The phone has personal details,” she said, adding that she felt her privacy was being violated. However, to Hussain, privacy is the least of concerns. “They have told us that they will come again,” said Hussain, looking out the window behind him. “They will definitely come — who isn’t scared?” Standing in the room as Hussain shows his bruised leg, his friend said, “They are pushing us towards it — you know what. Shall I sit and watch them beat up my family? They are forcing us to act.” https://thekashmirwalla.com/2020/11/bol-jai-shri-ram-srinagar-locality-alleges-mass-beatings-by-army-after-militant-attack/?fbclid=IwAR3wgiNqz3K_nVlNSh14vhrtzk8V67Ix4MWMEmNdkXqiGRBrlzVfbRzks9Q 2. Chemical weapons: December 1: Indian forces continue to kill Kashmiris and destroy their properties by using chemical weapons in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir despite the fact that the world is observing the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, today. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said, although chemical weapons have been banned but India is using them against Kashmiris in violation of the Chemical Weapon Convention that prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons even in war, what to talk of against civilian populations like in IIOJK. The report said that there have been a number of deaths due to use of chemical weapons by Indian troops in IIOJK. The bodies are burnt to such an extent that they are beyond recognition and this kind of burning could only be possible when some chemicals are used to destroy houses. The recovery of charred bodies of three Kashmiri youth, Jehangir Khanday, Kifayat Ahmad and Faisal Ahmad under the debris of four houses, destroyed by the Indian army at Bahmnoo in Pulwama on 4 July 2017 suggested usage of chemical weapons. The bodies were so extensively burnt that they were beyond visual recognition. Earlier, in a similar action the same year, the troops killed three youth and demolished a house at Kakapora in Pampore. In December 2016, the first incident in which Indian army used banned chemical weapons on people was seen in forest areas of Islamabad district in south Kashmir where a 22 year-old-boy Majid Zargar was killed and then chemical was put on his entire body. He could not be recognized as his entire body was burnt and nobody was able to say that this is really a body of some human being as it was collected from different sites that too in very small pieces. The report suggests that Indian Army is emulating Israeli tactics by using white phosphorus bombs to destroy houses of Kashmiris. The same tactics were used by Israel during its attacks on Gaza and it seems that these weapons have been provided by Israel to India for use in IIOJK. Particularly after August 5, 2019, Indian occupational troops as a policy take control of the bodies of the Kashmiri youth, killed by detonating their houses with chemical weapons during cordon and search operations, and bury them in the army-run graveyards to hide their crimes from the world. The charred bodies of the youth and their secret burial even without letting their parents to attend their funeral prayers are testimony to the fact that Indian is blatantly using chemical weapons in IIOJK. India must be punished for violating international laws especially when the whole world is destroying or deactivating their chemical weapons, New Delhi is stockpiling them endangering peace in the region. Subjugated and traumatized Kashmiris who are seeking their right to self-determination for decades are a test for global conscience. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/30/charred-kashmiris-bodies-await-world-action-against-india/ Weekly update -64: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from NOV., 17, 2020 to Nov., 24, 2020 1. Four young men martyred: Nov., 19, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Jammu district, today. The youth were killed when the troops opened fire on a vehicle in which they were travelling at Ban Toll Plaza near Nagrota on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in the district. The youth were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar in a truck when they were fired upon and killed by the troops in a fake encounter at Ban Toll Plaza in Jammu early today, an eyewitness said. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/19/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-jammu/ 2. Gujar evection: Nov., 21, 2020: The Forest Rights Act of 2006 recognises the rights of Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes, or FDST, and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers, or OTFD, to forest lands and produce except timber. The law is informed by the understanding that FDST and OTFD are “integral to the very survival and sustainability of the forest ecosystem” and, therefore, the goal of forest conservation is served by letting them stay on their lands, not by evicting them. Every FDST and OTFD family gets ownership rights to up to 79 kanals, or 4 hectares, of the forest land that they cultivated as on 13 December 2005. Even if this land that is being cultivated by the forest dwellers is entered as forest land on revenue records, it doesn’t matter. The ownership of 79 kanals of this forest land which is under cultivation of a family will have to be transferred to that family. They can’t be evicted out of that land. The FDST and OTFD have the right to extract forest produce other than timber. They have grazing rights to their forest lands, and they have the right to move on pastoral routes. The Forest Rights Act covers every Scheduled Tribe person who lives on forest land and whose livelihood is dependent on forests, as the Gujjar and Bakerwal community is. They have to be living on forest land on 13 December 2005. It also applies to any non-Scheduled Tribe person or community living on forest land for three generations or 75 years until 13 December 2005. This means non-tribal forest dwellers have the same rights if they fulfil the occupancy condition. How can a person or a family claim their rights under the Forest Rights Act? The law requires the state to set up four committees to verify each claim and award ownership rights. An individual claimant or community has to first approach the village committee, which will vet the claim and make a recommendation to the tehsil or sub-division committee, and then the district committee. There’s a monitoring committee at the state or union territory level as well. The committees must have members from FDST and OTFD populations as also representatives from the administration. The decision of the district committee “shall be final and binding”. Any person or family awarded ownership rights to the forest land, however, cannot sell it. This means that the Forest Rights Act completely shields FDST and OTFD populations from eviction from their forest lands. In other words, the law doesn’t just protect the settlements of Gujjars and Bakerwals and other forest dwellers inside forests, but even land in towns and cities that’s recorded as forest land and is under their occupation. On 6 September 2012, the government introduced the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Amendment Rules, which converted all forest villages, unrecorded settlements on forest land, and habitations of forest dwellers into revenue villages. These revenue villages included “the actual land use of the village in its entirety, including lands required for current or future community uses, like, schools, health facilities, public spaces etc”. This is also relevant for settlements in towns and cities that are recorded in revenue records as being on forest lands. This means that the settlements that have come up on land entered as forest land in towns and cities have rights to secure all the infrastructure necessary for community use. The government is also duty-bound to provide all the necessary facilities, like roads, lanes, electricity, water, educational institutions and health care facilities etc to these settlements. This explanation of the law is crucial to understanding why the J-K administration has launched a drive to remove Gujjar and Bakerwal settlements from forest lands. J-K has not implemented the Forest Rights Act yet, even though it was extended to the territory 15 months ago. They haven’t formed the four committees to verify claims to forest lands and grant ownership rights. This eviction drive is, thus, a “changing facts on ground” drive. If the FDST and OTFD community begins to utilise the Forest Rights Act, it will be extremely difficult for the state not only to evict them from their rightful habitations on forest lands but also deny them all necessary facilities to live in those settlements. “The United Nation Universal Declaration on Human Rights, to which India is a signatory, takes into account the fact that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,” the ministry noted in its affidavit to the court. “The UN Convention Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Populations, 1957, which has been ratified by India, relates to protection and integration of indigenous and other tribal and semi-tribal populations in independent countries. Under the said convention, a commitment is made to include protection of customary and traditional rights of such tribal and semi-tribal communities, and the protection of their right to ownership, collective or individual, over the lands which they have traditionally occupied”.The affidavit also referred to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, to which India is a signatory as well and which “urges the member countries to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples. A key provision of the declaration…enjoins member states to protect the rights to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied and used”. The ministry’s plea also talked about the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to which India is a party and which “advocates preservation of indigenous knowledge and practices”.“At the international level, India has actively participated in the formulation of these legal principles and is constitutionally bound to ensure that these are implemented within the country in letter and spirit,” the plea added. Now think of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community and other traditional forest dwellers of J-K. They are being arbitrarily evicted from the forest lands even before they have a chance to file their claims because the state hasn’t even set up the committees under the Forest Rights Act yet. The onus lies on the government and not these communities. The Gujjar and Bakerwal community whose homes and hutments are being demolished have another legal protection: the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989, which does apply in J-K but is not being implemented as yet. This law seeks “to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against the members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes” and provides for special courts “for the trial of such offences and for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of such offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. Any atrocity committed against a person or family belonging to a Scheduled Tribe automatically falls under the purview of this law. In 2018, the parliament passed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Amendment Bill, 2018 to overturn a Supreme Court order framing procedures for arrests made under this law. The law enjoins the government to set up special courts to hear cases of atrocities against SCs and STs and appoint special public prosecutors for the purpose. The J-K administration hasn’t done any of this so far. But as the law is in vogue, members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community can file cases under it against anybody who threatens them, forces their displacement, or demolishes their homes and hutments. http://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/removal-of-gujjar-and-bakerwal-community-from-forests-is-illegal-heres-why/ Liked by Senator Kamala Harris See new Tweets Liked Javed Rashid @Javedrashid · 9h Weekly update 63: Nov., 10, 2020 to Nov 17.,26, . Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir, rape, extra judicial killings, curfew, communications lockdown, https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2020/06/weekly-update-human-rights-violations.html #FreeKashmir @JoeBiden @kamlaharris @LadyVelvet_HFQ Weekly update -63: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from NOV., 10, 2020 to Nov., 17, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Nov., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today (Nov., 11, 2020).The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Kutpora area of the district. An Indian Army official claimed that the youth were killed in an encounter triggered during a cordon and search operation jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Indian police. The authorities suspended internet service in Shopian and Kulgam districts. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-shopian-5/ 2. Media in IOK: Nov., 12, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, media is under a serious threat from Indian occupational forces was the finding of a report released by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) in the first quarter of the year 2020. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said the media in IIOJK is facing state repression as it is being repeatedly targeted and vilified by Modi led fascist Indian regime. New Delhi is using different intimidating tactics to harass Kashmiri journalists and media house owners. Besides being booked under draconian laws for speaking truth, Indian probe agencies like National Investigation Agency and Enforcement Directorate frequently raid residences of IIOJK journalists and media outlets. The report cited the statement of Ravi R Prasad, director of advocacy at IPI in which he said, “Journalism in Jammu and Kashmir is under a dramatic state of repression” and said that NIA is BJP’s pet agency, which is being used to terrorize the Kashmiri journalists. The report supported the findings of the IPI director that India “is using a mix of harassment, intimidation, surveillance and online information control to silence critical voices and force journalists to resort to self-censorship” by referring to the NIA raid on English daily Greater Kashmir’s office in Srinagar and the sealing of the office of daily Kashmir Times. The action was even condemned by Delhi-based Editors Guild and Press Clubs of India. It said that India was making efforts in vain to hide its crimes by stifling media in the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/11/india-trying-in-vain-to-hide-its-crimes-by-stifling-media-in-iiojk/ 3 Weekly update -62: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from NOV., 3, 2020 to Nov., 10, 2020 1. Kashmir And Palestine: Nov., 3, 2020: Human Rights Watch in its 2020 report said that Israel continued to enforce severe and discriminatory restrictions in Palestine; restrict the movement of people and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip; and facilitate the transfer of Israeli citizens to settlements in the occupied West Bank, an illegal practice under international humanitarian law. Israel’s twelve-year closure of Gaza, exacerbated by Egyptian restrictions on its border with Gaza, limits access to educational, economic, and other opportunities, medical care, clean water and electricity for the nearly 2 million Palestinians who live there. Eighty percent of Gaza’s population depend on humanitarian aid. Israeli forces stationed on the Israeli side of fences separating Gaza and Israel continued to fire live ammunition at demonstrators inside Gaza who posed no imminent threat to life, pursuant to open-fire orders from senior officials that contravene international human rights standards. According to the Palestinian rights group al-Mezan, Israeli forces killed 34 Palestinians and, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, injured 1,883 with live ammunition during these protests in 2019 as of October 31. Fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza involved unlawful attacks and civilian casualties. During a flare-up in early May, Israeli airstrikes killed 25 Palestinians, 13 of whom were civilians killed in strikes that appeared to contain no military objective or caused disproportionate civilian loss in violation of the laws of war. During the first nine months of 2019, Israeli authorities approved plans for 5,995 housing units in West Bank settlements, excluding East Jerusalem, as compared to 5,618 in all of 2018, according to the Israeli group Peace Now. Israeli cabinet officials in September approved ex-post facto the outpost settlement of Mevo’ot Yericho in the Jordan Valley that had been illegal even under Israeli law, just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex the Jordan Valley if re-elected. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities destroyed 504 Palestinian homes and other structures in 2019 as November 11, the majority for lacking construction permits. Israel makes it nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain such permits in East Jerusalem or in the 60 percent of the West Bank under its exclusive control (Area C). The demolitions displaced 642 people as of September 16, more than the total number of people displaced in 2018 (472), according to the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Israeli rights group B’Tselem recorded more demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in 2019 than in any other year since at least 2004. All of this occurred in 2020, but by no means is this an unusually tragic year for the Palestinian people similar reports have been published for years. Back in 2019 the UN released a report on the human right abuses in Kashmir. The section on human right abuses in Indian Occupied Kashmir included: civilian killings and excessive use of force, continued use of pellet-firing shotgun, cordon and search operations, arbitrary detention, impunity for human rights violations, restrictions on freedom of expression, censorship and attack on press freedoms, restrictions on freedom of assembly and association, torture, targeting of Kashmiri Muslims outside Jammu and Kashmir. These are harsh realities of being a Kashmiri in Indian Occupied J&K. The 2019 report further said that according to the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), around 160 civilians were killed in 2018, which is believed to be the highest number in over one decade. Last year also registered the highest number of conflict-related casualties since 2008 4 with 586 people killed including 267 members of armed groups and 159 security forces personnel. However, the Union Ministry for Home Affairs claimed only 37 civilians, 238 terrorists and 86 security forces personnel were killed in 2018 up to 2 December 2018. The clear denial of the Kashmiri genocide on part of the Indian authorities is telling of their intentions in the region. According to JKCCS, 1,081 civilians have been killed by security forces in extrajudicial killings between 2008 and 2018. Of the 160 civilians reportedly killed in 2018 The Kashmir Valley, where most of the protests and armed encounters are reported to have taken place, accounted for 122 of these civilian killings. There is no information on the status of the five investigations launched into extrajudicial executions in 2016. The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir did not establish any investigations into civilian killings in 2017. No prosecutions have been reported. It does not appear that Indian security forces have been asked to re-evaluate or change their crowd control techniques or rules of engagement. Indian security forces continue to use pellet-firing shotguns in the Kashmir Valley as a crowd-control weapon despite concerns as to excessive use of force and the large number of incidental civilian deaths and injuries that have resulted. The 12-gauge pump-action shotgun firing metal pellets is one of the most dangerous weapons used in Kashmir. According to information from Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, where most pellet shotgun injured are treated, 1,253 people have been blinded by the metal pellets used by security forces from mid-2016 to the end of 2018. So-called “cordon and search operations”, a much-criticized military strategy employed by the Indian security forces in the early 1990s, was reintroduced in the Kashmir Valley in 2017. According to national and international human rights organizations, cordon and search operations enable a range of human rights violations, including physical intimidation and assault, invasion of privacy, arbitrary and unlawful detention, collective punishment and destruction of private property. On 28 February 2019, the central government declared religious-political organization Jamaat e Islami (Jammu and Kashmir) an unlawful association under section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. On 22 March 2019, the central government declared the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Yasin faction) an unlawful association. “Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. We are obliged to bear witness. Please tell everyone you can,” writes Gideon Polya, the author of US-Imposed Post-9/11 Muslim Holocaust & Muslim Genocide. Under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’ since 9/11 Muslims around the world have become targets of brutal atrocities. Any insurgencies that are locally created and born as a result of the harsh and subjugating conditions in disputed areas such as Kashmir or Palestine are chalked up to ‘terrorism.’ Ironically in Israel when Hamas prevailed in the January 2006 national legislative elections. It is a bitter irony that Hamas was encouraged, especially by Washington, to participate in the elections to show its commitment to a political process (as an alternative to violence) and then was badly punished for having the temerity to succeed, writes Richard Falk, an American scholar. These elections were internationally monitored under the leadership of the former American president, Jimmy Carter, and pronounced as completely fair. Carter has recently termed this Israeli/American refusal to accept the outcome of such a democratic verdict as itself ‘criminal.’ He wrote in 2007 that It was also deeply discrediting of the campaign of the Bush presidency to promote democracy in the region, an effort already under a dark shadow in view of the policy failure in Iraq. After winning the Palestinian elections, Hamas was castigated as a terrorist organization that had not renounced violence against Israel and had refused to recognize the Jewish state as a legitimate political entity. In fact, the behavior and outlook of Hamas is more complex and diverse. From the outset of its political existence in 1987, Hamas seemed ready to work with other Palestinian groups, especially Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas, to establish a ‘unity’ government.More than this, their leadership revealed a willingness to move toward an acceptance of Israel’s existence if Israel would in turn agree to move back to its 1967 borders, implementing finally unanimous Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Even more dramatically, Hamas proposed a ten-year truce with Israel, and went so far as to put in place a unilateral ceasefire that lasted for eighteen months, and was broken only to engage in rather pathetic strikes mainly taking place in response to Israeli violent provocations in Gaza. As Efraim Halevi, former head of Israel’s Mossad was reported to have said, ‘What Isreal needs from Hamas is an end to violence, not diplomatic recognition.’ And this is precisely what Hamas offered and what Israel rejected. This deeply unsettling truth about how India and Israel hold Kashmir and Palestine in a chokehold not only militarily but politically, and economically. The similarities between the state of Kashmiris and Palestinians are a result of the similarities in the nature of the Indian and Israeli states. Both India and Israel engage in a brutal subjugation of populations that they are in control of but have not earned the loyalty of. Kashmir, a state with a majority Muslim population in a country that is a Hindu majority and seeks to assimilate the region as it has ‘historic relevance’ to the nation. India over the years maintained that Kashmir belongs to it as a mandate from the Hindu prince of the state, appointed by the British, a Hindu prince who had committed genocide himself on the Kashmiri population. Recently, whilst becoming more Hindu nationalistic in nature the state has become much less subtle it it’s tactics to forcibly take the region. Israel has been less encryptic in its approach in Palestine, with the land that was taken as a result of Palestinian ‘Nakba’ which displaced around 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and rightful lands, being stated as historically belonging to the Jewish people. Under the guise of a ‘democracy’ fighting terrorism both India and Israel continue to wreak unimaginable havoc in the lives of Kashmiris and Palestinians. Both states unsurprisingly recently supported President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Islam as a religion in crisis. A Jewish South-African anti-apartheid leader Ronnie Kasrils writes “As a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist I look with horror on the far-right shift in Israel ahead of this month’s elections, and the impact in the Palestinian territories and worldwide. Israel’s repression of Palestinian citizens, African refugees and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza has become more brutal over time. Ethnic cleansing, land seizure, home demolition, military occupation, bombing of Gaza and international law violations led Archbishop Tutu to declare that the treatment of Palestinians reminded him of apartheid, only worse. How disgraceful that, despite the lessons of our struggle against racism, such intolerance continues to this day. I’m also deeply disturbed that critics of Israel’s brutal policies are frequently threatened with repression of their freedom of speech, a reality I’ve now experienced at first hand. Last week, a public meeting in Vienna where I was scheduled to speak in support of Palestinian freedom, as part of the global Israeli Apartheid Week, was cancelled by the museum hosting the event – under pressure from Vienna’s city council, which opposes the international movement to divest from Israel.” India too receives the same international support while it continues it human right violations in Kashmir, the disparity in the treatment of Muslim countries and voices become painfully apparent when taking into account that Pakistan was grey-listed by the FATF while India and Israel continue to enjoy international support and investment. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/israel-palestine/ 2. Youth martyred: Nov., 7, 2020: Meanwhile, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiris in Pulwama district. The troops martyred two youth and injured two civilians during a violent cordon and search operation in Pampore area of the district. One of the injured civilians succumbed to his injuries at SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The occupation authorities snapped internet service in several areas of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/06/kashmiris-observe-jammu-martyrs-day-3/ 3. WKAF Statement on Politically Motivated Attacks on Civil Society in Jammu and Kashmir: Nov., 8,2020: -India seeks to further muzzle Kashmiri voices with new round of raids- The World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) issued the following statement in responses to the actions of the Indian government in Jammu and Kashmir. “We condemn the Indian government's continued Hindutva fascist assault on the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The Modi government seems to be bent on suppressing the voices of Kashmiris and anyone else who raises a finger against its settler-colonial agenda and blatant human rights abuses in the region. In recent days, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has carried out surprise raids in Jammu & Kashmir and across India on the business offices of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets, as well as the offices and residences of human rights activists, political opponents, and journalists. These raids by NIA have now become the Bharatiya Janata Party government's favored tools, used to investigate the alleged use of funds collected “for secessionist and separatist activities.” NGOs targeted by recent raids include the Jammu & Kashmir Yateem (orphan) Foundation, the Salvation Movement, Human Welfare Foundation, Jammu & Kashmir Voice of Victims, Falah-e-Aaam Trust, the humanitarian outfit Athroot, and Delhi- based Charity Alliance. In addition, the NIA has searched the offices of Agence France-Presse and the Greater Kashmir Trust for “incriminating documents.” The Orwellian dragnet has also been cast on the most vocal civil society members and human rights activists and their associates. Among them: the famed rights defender Khuram Parvez (Co-coordinator of Jammu & Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society), Parveena Ahanger (Chairwoman of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons), and their associates in Jammu & Kashmir and across India. These two organizations have been at the forefront of extensive reporting on human rights abuses in Kashmir, including indefinite incarceration, torture, extrajudicial killings of political opponents, and the extensive impunity enjoyed by Jammu & Kashmir's armed forces.The WKAF condemns these raids unequivocally and calls on men and women of conscience worldwide, particularly international human rights advocacy groups and other NGOs, to redouble their efforts in highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses in the Indian occupied Kashmir, and to demand that the government in New Delhi work for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. The Indian state’s new repressive measures may bring temporary silence among Kashmir’s besieged population and their supporters, but it will never buy their allegiance to India. Prolonging the settlement of the Kashmir dispute will bring peace neither to India nor to South Asia, and will prolong the unnecessary suffering of thousands of innocent civilians.” 4. Youth martyred: Nov., 9, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today (Nov 8, 2020). The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/08/indian-troops-martyrs-one-youth-in-iiojk/ Weekly update -61: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Oct., 27, 2020 to Nov., 3, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Oct., 29, 2020:In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmtiri youth in Badgam district, today.The youth were martyred during a violent cordon and search operation which was launched by the troops in Machowa area of the district, last evening https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/28/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-badgam-3/ 2. AI: Oct., 1, 2020: The Indian government must immediately halt its intensifying suppression of dissent, said Amnesty International, following a series of raids by counter-terrorism forces on the homes and premises of civil society groups, human rights defenders and journalists in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region on Wednesday 28 October. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country’s premier anti-terror agency, raided the residences and offices of prominent human rights activists Khurram Parvez, the co-ordinator of J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), three of his associates and Parveena Ahanger, Chairperson of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). Both organizations have reported extensively on human rights abuses in Kashmir, including the indefinite administrative detention and extrajudicial execution of human rights defenders, torture of people in detention and the widespread impunity of the security forces in the region. Further raids were carried out on the offices of the NGOs Athrout and GK Trust and on the residence of Agence France-Presse’s Kashmir correspondent Parvez Bukhari. These raids are an alarming reminder that India’s government is determined to suppress all dissenting voices in Jammu and Kashmir. Julie Verhaar, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International “These raids are an alarming reminder that India’s government is determined to suppress all dissenting voices in Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities are evidently targeting these civil society and media groups because of their continued work reporting and advocating for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir despite a harsh communications blackout that was imposed by the Indian government in the region since 5 August 2019,” said Julie Verhaar, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International. “In a worrying pattern, the UAPA and the foreign funding law are being repeatedly and deliberately weaponized to intimidate, harass and restrict the ability of civil society groups from operating, in clear violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association.” The raids come after Amnesty International India was forced to halt its work and let go of its employees in the country from 1 October 2020 after its bank accounts were frozen by the government, shortly after it released a Situation Update on human rights in Jammu & Kashmir. In September 2020, APDP submitted almost 40 testimonies of victims who were subjected to arbitrary detention and torture by security forces in Kashmir, to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. On 5 August 2020, JKCCS published its bi-annual human rights review documenting the extrajudicial executions of at least 32 individuals and the impact of internet shutdowns in the region. Both UAPA and FCRA have been criticized by UN human rights experts for their overarching nature, which is used to criminalise religious minorities, political dissidents and human rights defenders. In October 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Michelle Bachelet appealed to the government of India to review the FCRA and its compliance with international human rights norms, and regretted that it was being “used to deter or punish NGOs for human rights reporting”. Since 2014, several organizations have been targeted under the foreign funding law, including Greenpeace India, Lawyers Collective, Centre for Promotion of Social Concerns, Sabrang Trust, Navsarjan Trust, Act Now for Harmony and Democracy, NGO Hazards Centre, and Indian Social Action Forum. In September 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCRA was further amended, without any public consultation, to choke civil society in India. On 19 October, the office of the Kashmir Times, a news daily was sealed by the Jammu & Kashmir Estates Department. Since 5 August 2019, Anuradha Bhasin, the editor of Kashmir Times has spearheaded the litigation in the Supreme Court of India against the shutdown of internet and telephone services in Jammu & Kashmir https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/india-counter-terror-raids-on-civil-society-groups-signal-escalating-crackdown-on-dissent/ 3. Saifullah martyred: Nov., 1, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a prominent mujhaid commander, Dr Saifullah, in Srinagar, today. The troops killed Dr. Saifullah during a cordon and search operation in Rangreth area on the outskirts of the city. one youth was arrested during the operation . . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/01/india-claims-killing-mujahid-commander-in-iiojk/ Weekly update -60: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Oct., 20, 2020 to Oct., 26, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Oct., 20, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmir youth, today, in Shopian district of south Kashmir.The youth was killed by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Melhora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-3/ 2. Five martyred: Oct., 21, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts. The youth were killed by Indian troops during cordon and search operations (CASOs) in the two districts. Two youth were killed by the troops during an overnight military operation in Melhora area of Shopian, while another three were killed in Kakripora area of Pulwama district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/20/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-iiojk/ 3. Newspaper: Oct., 22, 2020: The regional administration of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir sealed the office of leading English daily the Kashmir Times on Monday. The Kashmir Times, which is headquartered in Jammu, was being published from both Jammu and Kashmir and is one of the oldest newspapers in the region. Its owner, Anuradha Bhasin, said the government's action was a "vendetta for speaking out” while noting that no process of law was followed. "No eviction notice was served on us and neither was there any formal communication," the Press Trust of India quoted her as saying. On her Twitter handle, she wrote: "Today, Estates Dept locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, the same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to ‘new allottee.' Vendetta for speaking out! No due process followed. How peevish!” Reporters without Borders (RSF) termed the act an attack on press freedom https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/kashmir-authorities-seal-office-of-leading-opposition-english-daily Weekly update 59: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Oct., 13, 2020 to Oct., 19, 2020 1. Two youth martyred: Oct., 13, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more youth, injured dozens while razing many houses and structures to rubbles in Srinagar, today.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Rambagh area of the city. The troops blasted many houses with inflammable material during the operation. The fire swept across huge areas razing dozens of structures to the ground in the area. As the news about the killings spread, people from Barzulla and adjoining areas took to the streets and clashed with the troops. The troops fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells injuring many Heavy stone pelting was going on till last reports came in. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-2/ 2. Youth martyred: Oct., 15, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Chakura area of the district. An elderly man was critically injured after he was deliberately hit by an Indian army vehicle in Kangan area of Ganderbal district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/14/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-10/ 3. Woman dies: Oct., 16, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, fear and terror created by sweeping cordon and search operations of Indian forces claimed the life of an elderly woman in the territory. The woman died of heart attack after brutal Indian troops entered her home, tortured and abused inmates and took her two sons along with them in Gussu area of Pulwama district, today. The woman was shifted to Pulwama hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/15/brutal-casos-take-womans-life-in-iiojk/ Weekly update 58: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Oct., 6, 2020 to Oct., 12, 2020 1. EU: Oct., 7, 2020: Maria Arena, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights has cautioned against the increasing attacks on religious minorities in India, stating that it carries serious implications on European Union and India’s bilateral relations. “It is with great concern that I have been observing the rule of law deteriorate in India, which is the very cornerstone of our special relationship,” said Arena. She continued that marginalized communities and religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims, “have been under increasing pressure for a long time” for being critics of government policies under the Narendra Modi regime. While mentioning attacks on Muslims in India, Arena also quoted the Amnesty International India report that revealed “grave human rights violations committed by the Delhi police in the February 2020 Delhi riots.” Concerning the same, she said, “I strongly support the call for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into all human rights violations committed by law enforcement officials.” She further called for “a fully independent, public and transparent inquiry into the role of the police in failing to prevent the violence,” accusing the police of “even aiding it.” Arena expressed serious concerns about “the absence of action by India’s authorities since the outbreak of the violence,” urging the BJP government at the Centre to “promote justice and fight impunity” to ensure stop and prevention of police brutality. She also indicated that Amnesty International India’s recent halting its work in India due to government reprisals is “very worrying.” Speaking on press gag and witch hunt of scholars in India over the anti-CAA protests, Arena said that such government action “have resulted in arbitrary detentions and an unnecessary loss of life.” Arena reminded the Indian government that “as a sitting member of the Human Rights Council, India has pledged to continue to foster the genuine participation and effective involvement of civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights,” therefore, the authorities must fulfil its duty as a responsible member of the Council. She concluded that India must act “in a manner worthy of the global role model it aspires to be,” highlighting that it is “high time for India to translate words into action. http://twocircles.net/2020oct07/439268.html 2. Youth martyred: Oct., 8, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Sugan area of the district The troops also continued their cordon and search operations in several other areas of the territory. The killing triggered forceful anti-India protests in Surgan area. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. The troops used brute force and fired pellets, bullets and teargas shell on the protesters leaving several of them injured https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/07/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-9/ 3. Youth martyred: Oct., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Kulgam and Pulwama districts, today. The troops during cordon and search operations martyred two youth at Chingam in Kulgam and two others at Dadoora in Kangan area of Pulwama. On the other hand, a 14-year-old boy, Khushdil Gulzar, was injured after he was shot at by unidentified gunmen in Lethpora area of Pulwama district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kulgam-2/ Weekly update 57: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep., 29, 2020 to Oct., 5, 2020 1. UNHRC: Sep., 29, 2020: India is under severe criticism at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where reputed international rights groups during a daylong debate took a dig at the BJP government for human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Taking part in a debate held under agenda item 3, in Geneva, the representatives of International Muslim Women Union (IMWU), World Muslim Congress (WMC), Community Human Rights and Advocacy Center (CHR&AC) and Amnesty International voiced their serious concerns over the dire political and human rights situation in the disputed territory. They urged the Council to impress upon the Indian government to hold accountable members of its security forces involved in heinous crimes such as torture, arbitrary detentions, killings, and forced disappearances. Speaking on the occasion, the CHR&AC representative Eemaan Gilani, while referring to the genesis of Kashmir dispute said, “Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, UN has passed a number of resolutions calling for a free an impartial plebiscite under the UN auspicious to allow the people Kashmir to determine their political future in freely an atmosphere free of coercion.” These resolutions, she said, were endorsed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian representative in the UN Security Council. Despite the fact India has been always reluctant to implement these resolutions. Notwithstanding the international commitments, she added, Indian had forcibly occupied the territory and deployed over 900,000 military and paramilitary troops in the region, which makes it the highest military zone in the world. “It was high time that the pressure be built on the Government of Indian to stop human rights violations in Kashmir and abide by the international laws”. Terming denial of right to self-determination as a violation of human rights, the IMWU representative Warda Najum said, “Kashmiris are subjected to the worst kind of violence and subjugation for demanding this right”. Asking the world audience to hear the cries of suffering humanity in Kashmir she said, “In the middle of media blackout and clampdown on civil society and human rights defenders I can hear the mournful wails of millions of Kashmiris under Indian occupation for more than 13 months now”. “If India thinks it can prevent itself from censoring its evil India is mistaken”, she said adding that the Indian occupied territory is a place where people are denied justice, where occupation is enforced and dejection prevails, where people are made to feel robbed, degraded and humiliated”. WMC representative Raja Saeeduz Zaman, said, “What defines today’s Kashmir is extra-judicial killings, fake-encounters, forced disappearances, detention of Kashmiri youth and torture”.He said harassment of the civilian, killing and blinding people by pellet-firing shotguns have become a new normal in Kashmir. Speaking on the occasion, the Amnesty international representative, while expressing his grave concerns over the rising tide of fascism, intolerance, and racism in Indian said, “We are alarmed by the deteriorating situation in India where draconian laws are being used to detain and arrest the human rights defenders and peaceful protesters. Regarding the arrests and torture on peaceful protesters by the Indian police he said, “People who were protesting against Citizenship Act were subjected to excessive force”.This reality he said could no longer be ignored. He said, “We urge the council to hold India accountable for human rights obligations and commitments”. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/28/speakers-at-hrc-debate-grill-india-over-rights-abuses-in-iiojk/ 2. AI to leave India: Sep., 30, 2020: Amnesty International says it is halting work in India due to a “continuing crackdown” and “harassment” by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The human rights watchdog said the bank account of its India branch has been frozen by the right-wing government, forcing it to lay off staff and stop campaign and research work in the South Asian nation. It also accused the government of running an “incessant witch hunt” campaign against human rights organisations over “unfounded and motivated” allegations. The group said it has been facing a crackdown over the past two years over allegations of financial wrongdoing that it said were baseless. Its bank accounts were frozen on September 10, the group said. “The continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts is not accidental,” said Avinash Kumar, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, in a statement on Tuesday. Amnesty said the federal financial crimes investigation agency, the Enforcement Directorate, had targeted it.“The constant harassment by government agencies including the Enforcement Directorate is a result of our unequivocal calls for transparency in the government, more recently for accountability of the Delhi police and the Government of India regarding the grave human rights violations in Delhi riots and Jammu & Kashmir. Amnesty and other groups have accused police of complicity in the riots in Delhi in which at least 50 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced accusations that it is clamping down on dissent, including in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where rebels have battled government forces for more than 30 years. Activist Kavita Krishnan told Al Jazeera it was a “very deliberate” attempt by the Indian government to suppress an international human rights organisation. “It’s a direct attempt by the Indian government to tell international human rights group that if you document rights violations by the Indian state we won’t let you continue to function in India,” said Krishnan, who is also the secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA).“I think this raises a big question which the world needs to wake up and recognise that India is no longer a functioning democracy. “We need to wake up and understand what is happening in India to rights defenders, many of whom are in jail under draconian laws,” she said. Opposition politician Shashi Tharoor said Amnesty’s exit was a blow.“India’s stature as a liberal democracy with free institutions, including media & civil society organisations, accounted for much of its soft power in the world. Actions like this both undermine our reputation as a democracy & vitiate our soft power,” he said on Twitter. Last week, the government enacted changes in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill setting new conditions for organisations. Some NGOs said the measures seeking tighter control of funds were aimed at creating an air of distrust. Kumar said more than four million Indians have supported Amnesty’s work in the last eight years and about 100,000 Indians had donated money. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/29/amnesty-says-its-halting-work-in-india-due-to-govt-witch-hunt 3. Government admits guilt: Oct., 5, 2020: Government investigators on Saturday exhumed the bodies of three young men in disputed Kashmir, two weeks after the Indian military in a rare admission said its soldiers exceeded their legal powers in killing the men they described as Pakistani terrorists.A team of police and medical officials exhumed the bodies of three men in western Baramulla district and handed them over to their families for burial at their remote village in southern Rajouri district, police said. Mohammed Yousuf, the father of one of the victims, said the three were “murdered in cold blood.” “Our sons have been proved innocent and we are now waiting for justice,” Yousuf said. “The killers must face justice.” The Indian army on July 18 said its soldiers killed three “unidentified Pakistani terrorists” in Kashmir’s southern Shopian area. Police, who usually participate in counterinsurgency operations, said the July 18 encounter was a solo operation by the army. Police, however, later buried the bodies in a remote cemetery in Baramulla. About a month later, three families in Rajouri identified the victims as their missing relatives using photographs of the bodies that circulated on social media. The families filed a complaint with police, accusing soldiers of killing their relatives in a staged gunbattle. The families said the three men went to Shopian to work as laborers and were last heard from on July 17.Police ordered an investigation, the results of which have yet to be released. On Sept. 18, the Indian military admitted wrongdoing and said its internal probe identified the three men killed as local residents, without explaining how the military had identified them. It also said an army investigation showed the soldiers had exceeded the powers granted to them under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Kashmiri civilians and activists for years have accused Indian troops of abusing their powers and repeatedly targeting civilians. In 2000, the Indian army killed five men it alleged were militants responsible for the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir. An investigation later found the five were local villagers killed in a faked firefight. In 2010, a massive uprising erupted in Kashmir after a police investigation found Indian soldiers had killed three civilians in a staged gun battle and then said the victims were militants in order to claim a reward for killing them. The army responded by suspending two officers. India has rejected every request since 1989 to prosecute Indian soldiers in civilian courts in Kashmir for alleged rights abuses including murder and rape, according to official documents. https://wtop.com/asia/2020/10/investigators-exhume-bodies-of-kashmir-men-killed-by-india/ Weekly update 56: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep., 22, 2020 to Sep., 28 2020 1. Youth martyred: Sep., 25, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more youth, today, raising the number of the slain youth to three from yesterday.The troops martyred the two youth during a cordon and search operation in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district, today https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk/ Weekly update 54 & 55 : Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep., 8, 2020 to Sep., 20 2020 1. Youth martyred: Sep., 16, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth including one in custody in Baramulla district.According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian troops and police arrested a youth identified as Irfan Ahmed during a cordon and search operation at Tujjer Sharief in Sopore area of the district, last night, and later killed him in custody. The troops martyred another youth during a cordon and search operation in Uri area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/16/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-7/ 2. UN: Sep., 16, 2020: UN high commissioner for human rights Michele Bachelet has welcomed the release of some Jammu and Kashmir political leaders and the limited internet restoration in two Kashmir districts, but expressed concern that many still remained behind bars and called for the full reversal of the communication blockade in J&K. At the start of the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Monday, Bachelet gave a “Global Human Rights Update” on the situation across the world, from China to Sri Lanka, Venezuela to the US. In her section on India, Bachelet mentioned that in the last one year in Jammu and Kashmir, “incidents of military and police violence against civilians continue, including use of pellet guns, as well as incidents related to militancy”. She observed that changes in the constitutional status and domicile rules of J&K have generated “deep anxiety”. The new media policy unveiled by the J&K administration has also constricted the space for criticism, she noted. “…the space for political debate and public participation continues to be severely restricted, particularly since new media rules have prohibited vaguely defined ‘anti-national’ reporting,” she said https://thewire.in/world/un-human-rights-chief-michele-bachelet-kashmir-45th-unhrc-session 3. Extra judicial killing: Sep., 177, 2020: Irfan Ahmad Dar was arrested for allegedly sheltering militants but then somehow escaped from custody only to be found dead a few hours later, the police say. The cause of death has not been disclosed but locals allege torture. At around 12 pm, on Tuesday, members of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG) raided the house of Irfan Ahmad Dar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, at Sidiq Colony in the Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Irfan was arrested from the shop he owned, adjacent to his house. At around 3:30 pm, the SOG raided his house. This search operation lasted for 20 minutes.This time, the police detained his 30-year-old brother, Javid, and took him to the SOG camp, located at Townhall in Sopore. Javid was released later that night but on Wednesday morning – September 16 – the news broke that Irfan had died launched. “In the meanwhile, the OGW while taking advantage of darkness and terrain managed to escape regarding which a separate Case FIR No. 71/2020 U/S 224 IPC was registered in Police Station Bomai and during search the body of OGW was found near [the] Stone Quarry of Tujjar-Sharief.” The body, according to the police, was then taken to the nearby Primary Health Centre (PHC), from where it was shifted to the Police Control Room (PCR) for fulfilling medical and other legal formalities Though a postmortem examination of the body was conducted at the PCR, the family has not been provided any details. Under the National Human Rights Commission’s guidelines for deaths in custody, not only is a post-mortem mandatory but the process has to be video-recorded. There have been instances where the NHRC has used the injuries recorded in a post-mortem report to refute police accounts of prisoners dying while trying to escape. With the Sopore police providing no information to Irfan’s family about the cause of death and then refusing to hand over his body, the family is convinced he was killed in police custody and later branded an over-ground worker of militants. “No one in the family has a single FIR in their name in any police station in Kashmir. Nor were we involved in any militancy. My brother was murdered in custody and then dubbed a militant,” said Javid https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-and-kashmir-sopore-custody-death-irfan-ahmad-dar 4. Four martyred: Sep., 17, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiris including a 45-year-old woman in Srinagar city, today. The troops killed the youth and the woman during a cordon and search operation in Batamaloo area of the city. The operation continued till last reports came in https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/17/indian-troops-martyr-four-including-a-woman-in-srinagar/ 5. Army admits violation: Sep., 19, 2020: The Indian army says its soldiers exceeded powers under the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the killing of three local civilians in southern Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this year. On July 18, Indian armed forces said they killed three unidentified "rebels" in Amshipora village in Shopian. "The inquiry ordered by the Army authorities into op Amshipora has been concluded. The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded," Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the army spokesperson, said in a statement."The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Op Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police," the statement said "Today, they called one member of each family and admitted that the three were killed in a fake encounter. We want them to bring those people who killed them in front of us and punish them. We want the bodies of our family members."Ibrar, the youngest of the trio, worked as a labourer to save money for his education, his family told Al Jazeera. The three labourers were lured to Machil and killed there before being labelled "militants" by the army to claim a reward. Under AFSPA, a counterterrorism law with sweeping provisions, security forces enjoy "widespread impunity".It grants "powers" to members of the armed forces in "disturbed areas" like Kashmir to shoot-to-kill or arrest suspected people. Section 7 of the AFSPA provides virtual impunity for human rights violations by security forces personnel, as any civilian prosecution can only proceed after obtaining prior sanction from the central government. In the 30 years this law has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir, that authorisation has never been granted. Parvez Imroz, a noted human rights lawyer in the region, told Al Jazeera: "This incident cannot be taken in isolation."They were civilians, the statement doesn't mention it. It mentions them as terrorists."This incident cannot be taken in isolation, the culture of the army in 30 years needs to be looked at. The history is that the army has complete impunity, they cannot be prosecuted and punished."They might https try to silence families unofficially which they have done in many cases in Kashmir." ://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/indian-army-admits-wrongdoing-killing-kashmiris-200918173047540.html 6. OIC: Sep., 21, 2020: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-IPHRC) has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of three innocent Kashmiri labourers by Indian troops in Shopian district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on July 18. The OIC-IPHRC in a twitter message said, “Admission of this heinous act [by Indian forces] reinforces IPHRC’s repeated concerns on intensity & frequency of such crimes committed by Indian forces in IIOJK with impunity under (draconian law) Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) supported by the [Indian] State apparatus under the Hindutva ideology and widely condemned by UN, OHCHR and OIC.” The OIC-IPHRC urged the international community to establish Commission of Inquiry under the United Nations to investigate these extrajudicial killings and grave human rights violations. It called upon India to repeal the draconian laws, Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act and respect Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as per UN and OIC resolutions. The statement said that the killing of three IIOJK labourers had been confessed by the Indian forces in their statement of 18th September 2020 as ‘excessive wrongdoing’ of its soldiers under draconian AFSPA. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/20/oic-urges-probe-by-un-into-fake-encounter-killings-in-iojk/

Weekly update 53: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Sep., 1, 2020 to Sep., 7, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Sep., 5, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Yadipora in Pattan area of the district. Earlier, an Indian Army major was killed and a policeman was injured in an attack in the same area. Indian troops during house raids arrested three youth in Pattan https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/04/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk/ 2. Human cost since Aug 5, : Sep., 6, 2020: A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the completion of 13 months to the military siege, today, revealed that Indian troops martyred 237 Kashmiris including 5 women during the period. It said that most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters during cordon and search operations in the length and breadth of the territory. It said youth are picked up from their homes and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers of mujahid organizations. It said that the killings by the troops during the last 13 months rendered 9 women widowed and 22 children orphaned. The report maintained that at least 1,482 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. “The troops damaged over 954 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 89 women and arrested 13,936 persons including aged woman and girls during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory in the period,” it said.The report said that the daily life of the Kashmiris has been made miserable since New Delhi illegally abrogated special status of IIOJK on August 05, 2019. The move, it added, was aimed at snatching away the identity of the Kashmiris through changing the Muslim-majority status of the occupied territory into a minority.The report pointed out that as the entire occupied territory has been turned into an open-air prison, thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders, political and human rights activists, religious heads, journalists, businessmen, lawyers, civil society members, youth and activists were arrested after or before 5th August 2019 and they still remained lodged in Tihar and other jails of India and Kashmir. “Prominent among them are Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Naheeda Nasreen, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Peer Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Ameer Hamza, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Feroz Ahmed Khan, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Bashir Ahmed Querishi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and Aasif Sultan,” it added. The report said that senior Hurriyat leaders, Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, continued to remain under house detention in Srinagar. It said at least, 1500 people have been detained under black law, Public Safety Act.The continued ban on high-speed internet has deprived the Kashmiris of useful local and world information regarding education, business, and coronavirus, the report said. India had snapped the 4G internet service in IIOJK on August 05, 2019. The report pointed out that Narendra Modi-led fascist regime is engaged in changing the Muslim majority status of the occupied territory. For this purpose, it has granted domicile certificates to thousands of Indians, it added. The report said that Indian plans to change IIOJK demography was aimed at affecting the results in New Delhi’s favour if a plebiscite was held in Jammu and Kashmir at any point of time in future. It said the Kashmiris are committed to resist Indian plans to change demographic composition of the territory.The report deplored that press freedom is under a constant threat in IIOJK where journalists are detained and harassed. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/05/237-kashmiris-martyred-by-indian-troops-during-13-month-siege-in-iiojk/ Weekly update 52: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug., 25, 2020 to Aug., 31, 2020 1. Religious freedom: Aug., 28, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmiris have been deprived of all freedoms including religious freedom. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, said that India is violating all basic rights, including right to observe religious rites, in the occupied territory. The report said the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has not been allowed to offer congregational prayers of Juma and Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha for the past over ten years. Other resistance leaders, including Hurriyat forum Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have been continuously prevented from the same for the past one year, it said. “Srinagar’s historic Jamia mosque was kept locked by the authorities for the last one year. Attacks on religious places by Indian agents are a routine matter to keep the people away from worship. The military siege of Dargah Hazratbal is a glaring example of suppression of Kashmiris’ religious freedoms and desecration of their worship places,” it added. The report said every year, hundreds of people are denied passports and other travel documents to perform Hajj and Umrah just because of their affiliation with the ongoing freedom movement. The report maintained that fearing expression of anti-India sentiments, main Muharram processions have been banned in IIOJK since 1989. “Despite restrictions, people take out Muharram processions in IIOJK. Pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans reverberate during Muharram processions. People raise slogans like, “We Want Freedom”, “We are Pakistanis – Pakistan is ours”, “Down with India”, “Go India go back” and “Leave Kashmir” during these processions. Most of the time, mourners are subjected to brute force by Indian troops,” it said. The report pointed out that Indian troops were carrying out widespread raids and arrests for the past over a week to stop people from demanding freedom during Muharram processions. Even women participants of Muharram processions are being brutally assaulted in the occupied territory, it added. “Fascist Modi is the Yazid of the time for the Kashmiri Muslims. For IIOJK people, everyday is a day of Karbala. The resistance against Indian occupation in IIOJK is a manifestation of Hussainy character. Flag bearers of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) will continue to challenge Indian hegemony in IIOJK,” it said. The report said that Narendra Modi-led communal regime, which was shaping India’s policy according to Hindutva dictates, had virtually turned IIOJK into Karbala.It added that the international rights bodies must come forward to save the Kashmiri Muslims from Hindu fascism. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/27/iiojk-people-deprived-of-even-religious-freedom/ 2. Youth martyred: Aug 29, 2020: in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kiloora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/28/indian-troops-martyr-four-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/ 3. Youth martyred: Aug., 30, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, raising the number of the slain youth in the territory to seven from yesterday. The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation at Zadoora in Pulwama. Earlier, an Indian soldier was killed in an attack in the same area. The troops martyred four youth during a similar operation in Kiloora area of Shopian district, yesterday https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/29/indian-troops-martyr-3-more-youth-in-iiojk-toll-rises-to-7/ 4. Domicile: Aug., 31, 2020: 430,000 new domicile certificates issued as India enforces Modi’s ‘settler’ scheme in occupied Kashmir Prime Minister Narendra Modi is changing held Kashmir’s residency laws for the first time since 1947, in a bid to snuff out any challenge to the occupied territory.Drawing comparisons with Israel’s “settler” tactics in the Palestinian Territories, Modi’s Hindu nationalist government aims to change the demographic makeup and identity of the Muslim-majority region, critics say. More than 65 percent of the population is Muslim. In the Kashmir Valley, the main centre of the rebellion, it is close to 100 percent. Creating such new “facts on the ground” in Kashmir has long been advocated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the hardline Hindu parent organisation to Modi’s BJP party. Modi’s government tore up Kashmir’s special residence rules dating back to 1927 which had ensured only permanent residents could own land and property, secure government jobs and university places and vote in local elections. Now a raft of different categories of people from anywhere in India can apply for domicile certificates, giving them access to all the above. These include those living in Kashmir for 15 years, who include around 28,000 refugees who fled Pakistan and as many as 1.75 million migrant labourers — most of whom are Hindus. In addition, civil servants who have worked in Kashmir for seven years and their children, or students who have taken certain exams, also qualify for domicile status. Locals too now have to apply for the new “domicile certificates” in order to qualify for permanent resident rights. To get this, they have to produce their Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC), cherished documents valid since 1927, which then become worthless. Some 430,000 new domicile certificates have been issued — despite the coronavirus pandemic. It is unclear how many of them are to people from outside and how many to locals. Many locals are refusing to swap their old documents, even though this makes life harder. Some do it in secret for fear of censure from their neighbours. https://www.dawn.com/news/1577106/430000-new-domicile-certificates-issued-as-india-enforces-modis-settler-scheme-in-occupied-kashmir 5. Youth martyred: Aug., 31, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in an overnight operation in Srinagar, raising the number of the slain youth in the territory to 10 over the past three days.Three youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Panthachowk area on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Earlier, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Special Operation Group of Indian police was also killed in an attack in the same area.On Saturday, the troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation at Zadoora in Pulwama, while four youth were martyred during a similar operation in Kiloora area of Shopian district on Friday.The number of youth killed by the troops during cordon and search operations in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian rose to 10 since Friday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/30/3-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-swelled-to-10/ Weekly update 50: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug., 11, 2020 to Aug., 17, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Aug., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the killing of three missing labourers from Rajouri by Indian troops in yet another fake encounter in Shopian has drawn severe criticism from across the aisle. It is worth mentioning here that family members of three labourers from Rajouri who went missing in Shopian district last month said that on the basis of photographs released by Indian Army with caption saying that three unidentified ‘militants’ were killed in a gunfight on July 18 were in fact their innocent relatives. They said they had lodged a missing report with the police in Rajouri. The missing labourers were identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad and Abrar. Indian Army has been involved in many fake encounters including Pathribal encounter of March 2000 and Machil encounter of 2010. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/11/killing-of-missing-labourers-in-fake-encounter-is-war-crime/ 2. Youth martyred: Aug., 12, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kamrazipora area of the district. Earlier, one Indian soldier was killed and another injured in an attack in the same area. The slain youth who was identified as Azaad Lelhari.Meanwhile, another Indian soldier received injuries in an attack on a team of 52 Rashtriya Rifles in Hygam area of Sopore https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4/ 3. HRW Report: Aug., 16, 2020: The Indian authorities should immediately order an independent, impartial investigation into the killings by security forces of three people in July 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir, Human Rights Watch said today. The army claims that the three were militants and were killed in a retaliatory gunfight after they fired on the security forces during a search operation on July 18 in Shopian district, and were then buried in Baramulla district. But their families in Jammu, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers who had gone in search of work. Following demands from political parties for an inquiry, on August 10, the army said it will investigate. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/14/india-new-reports-extrajudicial-killings-kashmir 4. FaceBook India Tilt: Aug., 16, 2020: An India right-wing politician who has called for violence against Muslims and threatened to raze mosques continues to remain active on Facebook and Instagram, even though officials at the social media giant had ruled earlier this year the lawmaker violated the company's hate-speech rules, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The move to not proceed against T. Raja Singh, a member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party, came after Facebook's top public-policy executive in India, Ankhi Das, opposed applying the hate-speech rules to Singh and at least three other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups flagged internally for promoting or participating in violence, the newspaper quoted current and former employees as saying. According to the report, Facebook employees charged with policing the platform had concluded by March that Singh's rhetoric against Muslims and Rohingya immigrants online and offline not only violated hate-speech rules but he also qualified as "dangerous" for his words could lead to real-world violence against Muslims. Yet, instead of following the officials' recommendation to permanently ban him from the platform, the company allowed Singh, a member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, to remain active on Facebook and Instagram, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers. The decision was influenced by Das, whose job also includes lobbying the Indian government on Facebook’s behalf, telling staff members that punishing violations by politicians from the BJP would "damage the company’s business prospects in the country", which is Facebook’s biggest global market by number of users, the exposé said.The way Facebook has applied its hate-speech rules to prominent Hindu nationalists in India "suggests that political considerations also enter into the calculus" of policing hate speech, it added. Current and former Facebook employees cited in the report said Das’s intervention on behalf of Singh is part of "a broader pattern of favouritism by Facebook toward Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu hard-liners In February, Mishra in a speech had warned police that if they didn’t remove protesters demonstrating against a contentious citizenship law in India that excludes Muslim immigrants, his supporters would do so by force. Not long after Mishra uploaded the video to Facebook, communal rioting broke out that left dozens of people dead, most of them Muslims. Some of these killings were organised via Facebook owned WhatsApp, according to court documents cited by the WSJ. Facebook removed the video post later.Past allegations of foul play. While on the one hand Facebook refused to censor hate content by BJP lawmakers, a couple of years ago the social media giant had come under sharp criticism for censoring content by journalists and academics against Indian oppression and violence in the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2016, Facebook censored dozens of posts related to the death of Burhan Wani, a locally revered Kashmiri freedom fighter, reported The Guardian. Photos, videos and entire accounts of academics and journalists as well as entire pages of local newspapers were removed for posting about the occupied valley. During that time, the Indian government had imposed curbs on newspapers but residents of occupied Kashmir complained that censoring posts on Facebook made information blackouts worse.Due to limited access to newspapers and TV channels, journalists and news organisations would keep readers informed by updates on social media, until the social media giant started censoring news articles and updates about occupied Kashmir. The Facebook account of Kashmiri journalist Huma Dar, who is based in the United States, was deleted soon after she posted pictures of Wani's funeral. She was told that she had "violated community standards" when she wrote to the company."The biggest irony is that I get death threats, I get people saying they’ll come and rape me and my mother. None of those people, even when I complain to Facebook, have ever been censored," she told The Guardian. https://www.dawn.com/news/1574532/facebook-refused-to-check-hate-speech-by-indias-bjp-fearing-business-fallout-wsj-report

This page presents weekly update of human rights violations in Indian Occuoied Kashmir. For previous updates kindly visit:

https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2019/09/weekly-update-human-rights-violations.html

Weekly update 49: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Aug., 4, 2020 to Aug., 10, 2020 

1.    One year: Aug., 4, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, unrelenting military siege and crippling lockdown imposed by the fascist Modi government of India on August 5, last year, have almost completed a whole year. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, revealed that Indian troops had martyred 214 Kashmiris including 4 women and 10 young boys during the period. It said that at least 1390 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators and mourners in the territory. The killings since August 5, 2019 have been higher than those in 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, 2015 and 2019. The report said, most of the victims were killed in fake encounters during cordon and search operations in the length and breadth of the territory. It said, youth are picked up from houses and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or overground workers. The report said that these killings rendered 9 women widowed and 22 children orphaned. “The troops damaged over 946 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 84 women and arrested 13,680 including aged woman and half a dozen girls during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory in the period. After the custodial killing of prominent young Kashmiri resistance leader, Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016, the troops injured 10,240 by pellets and blinded over five dozen while eyesight of 385 was damaged. Indian troops killed 95,647 kashmiris from 1990 to till date.  The life of Kashmiris has been particularly made miserable since New Delhi illegally abrogated Article 370 of its constitution on August 5, 2019. The move, the report added, was aimed at snatching away the identity of the Kashmiris through changing the Muslim-majority status of the occupied territory into a minority. As the entire occupied Kashmir has been turned into an open-air prison, thousands of Hurriyat leaders, political and human rights activists, religious heads, journalists, businessmen, lawyers and civil society members, youth and activists were arrested after or before 5 August 2019, and still continue to remain in Tihar and other jails of India and Kashmir. Prominent among them are: Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehria,Masarrat Aalam Butt, Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, Nahida Nasreen, Fahmida Sofi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Aiyaz Akbar, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Peer Saifullah, Mehrajudin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Farooq Ahmad Tawheedi, Muhammad Yasin Attai, Ameer-e-Hamza, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Muhammad Yosuf Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Gania, Feroz Ahmad Khan, Dr Qasim Fakhtoo, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Yousuf Shah, Syed Shakeel Yousuf Shah, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Bashir Ahmad Querishi, Hayat Ahmad , Asif Sultan and Qazi Shibli. Senior Hurriyet leaders Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continue to remain under house detention in Srinagar. The continued ban on high-speed internet has deprived Kashmiris of useful local and world information regarding education, business, and coronavirus, the report said. India had suspended the internet 4G services in occupied Kashmir on August 05, 2019. “Modi regime is engaged in changing the Muslim majority status of occupied Kashmir. For this purpose, it has granted domicile certificates to thousands of Indians,” it added.The report deplored that press freedom is under a constant threat in occupied Kashmir where journalists are detained and harassed. “Cruel military lockdown has pushed occupied Kashmir into the stone age. Communications blockade has made the Kashmiris’ lives miserable,” it added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/03/httpskmsnews-orgnews20200803india-massacring-iiojk-youth-in-fake-encounters-report/ 

Weekly update 48: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jul., 28, 2020 to Aug., 3, 2020 

1.    Youth martyred: Jul., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district.The troops martyred two youth and injured another during a military operation in Nowshehra area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/29/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-rajouri-2/

2.     Youth arrested: Jul., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops on Wednesday arrested three Kashmiri youth during house raids in Bandipora district.The youth were arrested after Indian Army, police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force jointly launched cordon and search operations in different parts of the district.  a case under draconian law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has been registered at Bandipora police station against the youth. The FIR said that the detained youth were involved in providing shelter, logistics support and assistance to mujahideen operating in the district. However, locals while refuting the police claim said that Abrar, Waqar and Muneer were innocent youth who were being implicated by the Indian police on false charges. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/29/indian-forces-personnel-arrest-3-youth-during-raids-in-bandipora/

3.     Kashmiri in Government: Jul., 31, 2020:  “Islam is the major religion practiced in Kashmir, with 97.00% of the region’s population identifying as Muslims and among them just Farooq Lone sb is standing alone in decision making with regard to highly Muslim populated Jammu and Kashmir as I could see,” said a Facebook user from Kashmir. .The common refrain among Kashmiris in the aftermath of the decision was this: the move was aimed at introducing demographic change to the predominantly Muslim Kashmir Valley, robbing its inhabitants of economic and political rights.  “In civil bureaucracy, police and judiciary, Muslims in Kashmir feel nowhere,” said Ghulam Hassan Mir, a former minister in the state and now a member of the newly floated Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party,  “They are being sidelined and there is complete imbalance in the system. Kashmiris are found nowhere and even in the civil secretariat, which is the seat of power, the dejected Kashmiri officers are feeling detached.”This marginalisation may not have started last year. Two former ministers who had served in the governments of the former state said that Delhi had always intervened in crucial appointments. A former cabinet minister who served in the People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government traces the marginalisation of Kashmiri officers back to 1989, when militancy spread rapidly across the Valley.“It has been like this since 1989,” said the minister, who was among the many Kashmiri politicians arrested just before August 5. “Most of the key posts in the administration and police were held by non-local bureaucrats and officers on Delhi’s bidding. But state governments did act as a bit of buffer in such a scenario because there was accountability before the people. Tomorrow, they would have to go to people for votes.” That has changed dramatically since the state assembly was dissolved, said another former cabinet minister. “The bureaucrats leading this administration don’t even want to stay in Kashmir,” he said. “Either they stay in their fortified official accommodations or they prefer to spend their week days in Jammu or Delhi. There’s no connection with the public.”  Kashmiris have disappeared from the core unit of the administration altogether. While the administration is closely controlled by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs – most important policy decisions have been announced by it – the lieutenant governor and his four advisors are now the face of government in Jammu and Kashmir. Each advisor has the powers of a minister, supervising different departments instead of holding portfolios. Three of the advisors are from Jammu. The fourth is from Uttar Pradesh. None of them is from the Kashmir Valley. Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu and his four advisors. From left to right: Murmu, Kewal Kumar Sharma, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, Farooq Khan, Basir Ahmad Khan. Kashmiri judges are a minority in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, too. Of the 11 sitting judges, only two are Kashmiri Muslim while two are Kashmiri Pandit. Since 2009, no Kashmir Police Service officer has been promoted into the Indian Police Service. At present, all 66 Indian Police Services officers in the Jammu and Kashmir cadre are those who were recruited directly through examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission. The total strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s IPS cadre is 147, out of which 80 posts are for direct recruits and 67 slots are reserved for those promoted from the state service. A majority of the posts now lie vacant.There is a similar logjam with inductions from the Kashmir Administrative Service into the Indian Administrative Service. “There has been no induction into the IAS for more than 10-11 years because of the dispute over the seniority list of the 1999 KAS batch,” said a Kashmir Administrative Service officer who did not want to be named. “There have been petitions, counter petitions and all those discussions but so far the logjam hasn’t been broken.”  The former minister who was imprisoned after August 5 was unsurprised by this track record. “This is nothing new,” he shrugged. “But what’s happening now is the culmination of ultimate design of Hindutva which is the decimation of Kashmiri Muslims.”  https://scroll.in/article/968571/one-year-after-special-status-ended-kashmiris-have-disappeared-from-government-in-j-k

Weekly update 47: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jul., 21, 2020 to Jul., 27, 2020 

1.   Harassment: Jul., 21, 2020: : According to Srinagar-based human rights group Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), as many as 107 Cordon and Search Operations and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs) were conducted in J&K between January 1 and June 30 and reported “vandalism” and “destruction” of civilian properties. Excessive use of force, harassment and coercion tactics have been reportedly used against people in rural Kashmir as well, especially South Kashmir https://www.newsclick.in/Kashmiri-Locals-Complain-Harassment-Beating-During-CASOs

2.    Youth martyred: Jul., 25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred 2 Kashmiri youth in Ranbirgarh area in the outskirts of Srinagar, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar-2

3.     HRs in IOK: Jul., 26, 2020: The lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been in place for over 11 months now, has caused numerous violations of human rights, including “bail, and fair and speedy trial”, a report by the Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir said. The members of the forum include former Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur as co-chair along with Radha Kumar, the former member of Group of Interlocutors for the erstwhile state. “Counter-insurgency concerns have been given absolute priority over public, civilian and human security, leading to an across-the-board violation of human rights, including the vitiation of protections...” the report, titled “Jammu and Kashmir: The Impact of Lockdowns on Human Rights” read. “There has been denial of the right to bail and fair and speedy trial, coupled with misuse of draconian legislation, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), to stifle dissent.”  The lockdown brought on frequent shutdowns, “harassment at barricades and checkpoints”, and restrictions on communication. The report added that these have “enormously impacted public health, and caused trauma and stress amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir, violating the rights to health and medical care under the Indian, and Jammu and Kashmir, constitutions”. It further pointed out that the curbs in the Union Territory had severely impacted education in the region as institutions functioned for barely 100 days between 2019 and 2020. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus, restricting networks to 2G had made it difficult for online classes to function efficiently, it added. The report further notes the involvement of Pakistan and China following the Indian government’s August 5, 2019, decision to rescind the region’s special status and bifurcate the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. “China’s attempts to mobilise the UN Security Council against the August changes, and its own army’s May 2020 intrusions in Eastern Ladakh have added further diplomatic and security concerns for the Indian Government,” the report said. “They have also highlighted a tri-lateralisation of the dispute over Kashmir between India, Pakistan and China, lending a new edge to the strategic China-Pakistan nexus against India, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir.”The forum has called for the release of all political leaders who were taken into preventive custody amid the August 5 decision. “Repeal the PSA and any other preventive detention legislation, so that they cannot be misused against political opposition, or amend them to bring them in line with our constitutional ethos. Remove all restrictions on freedom of representation and expression. Strictly implement juvenile protection legislation in letter and in spirit,” the report added. Last August, as the Indian government announced its decision to repeal Article 370, the state was placed under the tightest lockdown in its history, with restrictions on movement, a communications blackout, and mass arrests.  . https://scroll.in/latest/968430/lockdown-in-j-k-for-over-11-months-led-to-across-the-board-human-rights-violations-says-report

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Weekly update 46: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jul., 14, 2020 to Jul., 20, 2020 

1.    Youth martyred: Jul., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today, taking the toll to five in the past twenty-four hours in the territory. The youth were killed by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Srigufwara area of the district. Earlier, a woman was also injured in firing by troops in the same area. On Sunday, Indian troops during a cordon and search operation martyred three Kashmiri youth in Reban area of the Sopore. The authorities buried the bodies in own unknown graveyard in Sheeri area of Baramulla district.   #FreeKashmir #IslamoPhobia_In_India  #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iok-14/

2.     Martyr day: Jul., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown, marked by curfew-like restrictions, is being observed across the Kashmir Valley in the memory of the 90th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, the 13th July. Curfew-like restrictions have been imposed by the Delhi-run government in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley to prevent anti-India protests and rallies and a march towards Mazar-e-Shuhada, Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar. Barricades have been placed near historic clock tower in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, while the forcers’ personnel deployed in strength to prevent the march.It was on the 13th of July 1931 when the troops of Dogra Maharaja had killed 22 Kashmiris, one after another, who had turned up in thousands outside Central Jail in Srinagar during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked Kashmiri people to defy the Dogra rule. It was time for Namaz-e-Zuhr when a young man started the call for prayers (Azaan) but was shot dead by the Maharaja’s soldiers. Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/13/shutdown-restrictions-mark-kashmir-martyrs-day-in-iok/

3.     Youth Martyred: Jul, 17, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a youth in Kulgam district, today( Thursday).The youth was killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Nagnad Chimmer area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/17/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-iok-6/

4.       UN concern: Jul., 17, 2020: Voicing strong concern at the criminal proceedings and investigations by police initiated against the four Kashmiri journalists covering the ground situation in Kashmir, three UN Special Rapporteurs associated with the United Nations High Commissioner (OHCHR) have made public their letter that has not been responded so far. The letter denounces the alleged harassment meted out to these journalists. The letter was made public as India did not reply. They had sent the letter to the Ministry of External Affairs on May 12. These communications, under the UN protocol, are being made public in case they are not responded within 60 days.   The detailed letter has expressed concern over the police cases lodged against four Kashmiri journalists: Naseer Ganai, Masrat Zehra, Peerzada Ashiq and Gowhar Geelani. The UN letter claims it notices a “pattern of silencing independent reporting on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir through the threat of criminal sanction.” The letter further states that “In this regard, we recall that the penalization of a journalist solely for being critical of the government or the political social system espoused by the government is incompatible with the State’s obligation under international human rights law.”  The UN Special Rapporteurs also want the Government of India to “ensure the right to effective remedies, including the investigation violations to the rights of the journalists mentioned in the letter.”   UN officials say that India is already in contravention of several Conventions it has committed to, including a “Standing Invitation” signed in 2011 to all special rapporteurs to visit India. According to the UN records, more than 20 such visit requests, including to Jammu and Kashmir, are pending at present. UN sources also said that between 2016-2018, the OHCHR Special Rapporteurs had sent as many as 58 communications, and had received no response other than the April 23 letter on Jammu and Kashmir.”   https://kashmirlife.net/3-un-officials-take-up-case-of-4-kashmir-scribes-with-delhi-240158/

5.     Youth martyred: Jul., 18, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth during a cordon and search operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, today.The youth were killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Amshipora village of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/18/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-occupied-kashmir-4/

6.     Youth martyred: Jul., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian Army’s 62 RR camped at Keller in Shopian killed three non-locals including a 13 year-old boy. Two of them had been working locally as masons, claimed a student from a nearby village and had worked in the locality for many years. KMS sources said, a heavily armed military contingent swooped on a house in Amshipora in Shopian early morning and started attacking the house with heavy mortars claiming it housed what they claimed were “terrorists”. Neighbours could hear the screaming of the inmates holed inside amid cries they were not militants but the army continued their relentless destruction till the house was razed.  Eyewitness accounts allege the army raided and ransacked several houses and beat up people including women and children. They also kidnapped several youth who were used as human shields during the staged and one-sided firefight. Some photographs of the incident showing a posse of army men holding Kashmiri youth as shields at the encounter site have since become viral. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/18/indian-troops-kill-three-non-locals/ 

  

                                                                                                                    

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Weekly update 45: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jul.,7, 2020 to Jul., 13, 2020 

1.     Youth Martyred: Jul., 7, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Goosu area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in. Earlier, an Indian soldier was killed and three others were injured in an attack in the same area. #IslamoPhobia_In_India  #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/07/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2/ 

2.    .Youth martyred: Jul., 12, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today.the troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Handwara area of the district.  . #FreeKashmir    #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands   (DEPORT 20 INDIANS FROM MUSLIM LANDS) https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/11/indian-troops-martyr-2-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara/

                                               Weekly update 44: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jun.,30, 2020 to Jul., 6, 2020 

1.      Youth martyred: Jun., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today( Monday) .The youth were killed during a cordon and search operation in Runipora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/29/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-iok-3/

2.     Dead grandfather: Jul., 1, 2020: Heartbreaking images have emerged from Sopore area of Indian Occupied Kashmir showing a wailing kid trying to wake up his dead grandfather who was shot dead by Indian forces. https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/552228-Heartbreaking-images-show-3-year-old-crying-over-body-of-grandfather-kil https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/552228-Heartbreaking-images-show-3-year-old-crying-over-body-of-grandfather-kil

3.     UN: Jul.  2, 2020: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres while expressing grief over the killing of a grandfather before his three-year-old grandson in Sopore area of occupied Kashmir, has said that those responsible for the killing of the civilian must be brought to account. Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, during a weekly press briefing in New York when asked about the gruesome incident, said, “We will look into it. Obviously people who were responsible need to be brought to account. But let me look further into it.”  The family members of Bashir Ahmad Khan immediately intervened to reject the police claim. They said the troops shot the 65-year-old man to death after dislodging him from his car. In reply to a question about the Indian restrictions on protests against the killings in occupied Kashmir, Dujaric said, “As anywhere, we encourage people to be, authorities to allow people to demonstrate freely and that they can express their rights to demonstrate.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/02/un-chief-gets-tough-against-sopore-killing-ban-on-protests-2/

4.        Youth martyred: Jul., 5, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Arreh area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/04/india-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam/

5.     Grandfather killed: Jul., 3, 2020:  Barrister Tramboo and Prof Shawl expressed their anguish and shock having seen the images of 3 years old child over the his grandfather dead body, which was riddled with bullets, crying and screaming for help at Sopore in occupied Kashmir. Both the leaders emphasised that the slain civilian, Bashir Ahmad Khan, was killed by the Indian troops having dragged out of the car, shot dead at a point blank range thereafter placing his grandson on his body and audaciously taking the pictures. The car in which the deceased was travelling had no trace of any bullet shots. In all probability, he was dragged out of the car, shot and his body stretched on the ground with his arms and hands upwards and placing his grandson on his chest; and The slain Khan’s pictures taken with his 3-year-old grandson by the Indiantroops to cover their ghastly execution. The OKC leaders further highlighted that the reign of terror has intensified in occupied Kashmir since 5th August 2019 when the Indian authorities repealed the special status of Kashmir and divided it into two union territories. They called upon the international community and the world leaders to constitute an international commission of enquiry on all the killings including that of 3-year-old boy’s grandfather. They also urged the world community to persuade the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to open a formal investigation to bring to book all the perpetrators of the crime of genocide in occupied Kashmir. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/02/okc-leaders-highlight-indias-cruelties-in-occupied-kashmir/

6.     Youth martyred: Jul., 4, 2020:  In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Arreh area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/04/india-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam/

7.     Conference: Jul., 5, 2020:  The speakers at an international Kashmir virtual conference raised the massive human rights violations by Indian forces’ personnel in occupied Kashmir. The international Kashmir virtual conference on ‘Twin Lockdowns in Kashmir and Global Response’ was organized by Tehreek-e-Kashmir, UK. The President of Azad Jammu Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan participated as chief guest .  Liam Byrne MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, in his address said, “I think the recent conflagration between India and China has just underlined for many of us the risks which are at play here in the narrative in the UK about the urgency to resolve Kashmir issue, as it is a conflict between two nuclear powers and people at a risk of conflict between three nuclear powers.” He said that the region was very important and China had already built One belt one Road which would connect the whole world, so for the peace in the region, there must be peace and justice for the people of Kashmir, and the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions that were agreed to all of those years ago Jim McMahon OBE MP, said, “I’m kind of looking towards next week and the 8th of July and thinking that would be a year since the UN Human Rights Commissioner obviously report on the human rights violations were taking place again to Kashmiri people and we’ve seen almost no progress, we’ve seen almost no international assertion that international rule of law and the protection of human rights we’ve seen very little from the UK government and taking a leadership role in this.” He said, UK government needs to decide what role it wants to play in the world; does it want to be a spectator, does it want to turn a blind eye or actually doesn’t want to uphold the international rules the order based a system. Brendan O’Hara MP, said that it was disappointing but not unsurprising that the COVID-19 pandemic was being used as a cover for the oppression of people of Kashmir. “The situations are deepening and intense, three nuclear states are going head-to-head here. People in the UK are concerned about human rights abuses in Kashmir,” he added. He also supported the Kashmiris right to self-determination and pledged his support for the Kashmir cause. Nadia Whittome MP, said Modi has effectively declared war on people of Kashmir by revoking articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, with tens of thousands of troops descending on Kashmir with political leaders under house arrest, the blackout in communications and of course the widespread human rights abuses. “We need clear things from our government Condemnation of Indian Govt, reinstatement of Article 370 and 35A, demanding media and urgent military de-escalation, sending international observers to Kashmir, and publicly asserting the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. Alex Norris MP, Chairman Conservative Friends of Kashmir and Vice Chair APPG on Kashmir, said that COVID-19 was being used to erode human rights and that’s not something ‘we can tolerate and it’s something that we as parliamentarians have to use our precious platforms to talk about’. James Daly MP, said that new domicile rules imposed in Kashmir were simply unacceptable as they were an attempt to change the ending balance of the indigenous population within the territory. He added that the issue with Kashmir and Pakistan and India was not bilateral, it’s internationalist. He said, “We cannot walk away from the United Nations resolutions of many years ago. We simply can’t ignore them as if they go they’re not there they should do that internationalist solution the peace and the protection of human rights I believe will be sought. I think we have made some very points regarding the role of third parties in fighting discrimination, fighting human rights, fighting the oppression of people’s and that’s what’s happening in Kashmir.” Christian Wakeford MP, said, “I’ve been working very closely with my colleague from Baranof James Daley to keep on highlighting the concerns of the Kashmiri residents from Barry that actually you know too long far too many people have been raped abused tortured and murdered and we should have been speaking out not just on a national stage but an international stage and we have been far too quiet on this particular topic, what I think is vital is we do actually start speaking up because there will be no real change until this is seen on an international level.” Stell Creasy MP, said, “I fear if we don’t deal with Kashmir issue now the situation will deteriorate, I also just want to touch on the human consequences for our communities here in the UK who are desperately worried for friends and family in Kashmir desperately concerned about what is happening in Kashmir, and desperately frustrated that they see a political process that seems to be moving backwards not forwards in Kashmir.” Phil Benion, former Member of European parliament, said that revocation of articles 370 and 35A was illegal because it was clear that changes regarding Kashmir could not be done unilaterally and it had been done unilaterally so it’s very clear that Indian authorities were out of order and excluding people like Human Rights Watch the United Nations, Amnesty International and others from access to the region. So where we need to go forward now as I think getting an international coalition that wants to see Kashmir issue resolved now, he maintained. Danish writer, Jane Teller, said that the immediate absolute need for humanitarian aid has to just somehow find a way to break the chokehold of moody on Jammu and Kashmir. With the revocation of Article 370 and 35A Kashmiris went from the situation of being occupied to actually a situation of being colonized, Jane Teller added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/04/speakers-rise-massive-hr-abuse-by-troops-in-iok/

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Weekly update 43: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jun.,23, 2020 to Jun., 29, 2020 

1.      Fake encounters: Jun., 23, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Freedom League (JKPFL) led by Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has made startling revelation that Indian Army is involved in picking up Kashmiri youth from jails and houses and killing them after labeling them as militants. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/22/indian-army-picks-youth-from-jails-houses-and-kill-them-in-fake-encounters-jkpfl/

2.     Youth martyred: Jun., 23 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today.The youth were killed by troops during a cordon and search operation at Bandzoo area of the district.Earlier, an Indian central Reserve Police Force personnel was killed in an attack during operation in the same area https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4/

3.     Youth martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Hardshiva area of the town. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-sopore/

4.     Youth martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, taking the number of slain youth in the territory to five from yesterday.The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of the district. Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the same area, last night. The troops have sealed all entry and exit points of Tral. The occupation authorities have snapped mobile internet service in the area.The troops had killed two youth during a similar operation in Hardshiva area of Sopore town, yesterday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/indian-troops-martyr-a-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2/

5.     Child martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, unknown armed men killed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in South Kashmir’s Islamabad district, today. The CRPF man was killed in Bijbhera area of the district. In retaliation, the troops killed a 4 years old boy.Media reports said that unknown men attacked 90 battalion of CRPF near Padshae Bagh on Friday afternoon. As a result one CRPF personnel, identified as Shymal Kumar, suffered critical injuries and was removed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.The 4-year-old boy, killed by Indian troops, was identified as Nihaan Butt, son of Mohammad Yaseen Butt of Machoo, Kulgam. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/crpf-man-killed-in-iok-troops-kill-4-years-boy-in-retaliation/

6.     Youth and Child martyred: Jun., 27, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiris including an 8-year-old boy in Pulwama and Islamabad districts, today. These killings raised the number of slain Kashmiris in the territory to six since yesterday.The troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of Pulwama district. Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the area. The occupation authorities snapped mobile internet service in the area. An 8-year-old child, Nihaan Butt, was martyred when Indian troops resorted to indiscriminate firing after the killing of a soldier in an attack on a camp of Indian Central Reserve Police Force near Padshahi Bagh in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district. The troops had killed two youth during a military operation in Hardshiva area of Sopore town, yesterday. The Jammu and Kashmir Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami and Pairwan-e-Wilayat in their statements strongly denouncing the killing of the child termed it as the worst display of state terrorism. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/4-more-kashmiris-including-8-year-old-boy-martyred/

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Weekly update 42: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jun.,16, 2020 to Jun., 22, 2020 

1.    Youth martyred: Jun., 16, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Turkwangam area of the district. Shopian Encounter Militants Belived To Be Zubair ul Islam Wani from Turkwangam shopian (TOP Commander) Hizb Kamran Manhas from Zawoora Shopian relative of Apni party leader Zaffar Manhas Muneeb ul Islam from Sugan Shopian ( Son of Imam e Jamia Sugan Habib ullah) https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/16/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-3/

2.     UNSG: Jun., 17, 2020: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has expressed serious concern over the killing of children in occupied Kashmir. The Secretary General’s report released on Monday said, the UN has verified the killing of eight children in Kashmir. Guterres said in the report that the casualties in Kashmir occurred mainly due to torture in detention, shootings, including from pellet guns. A report released on Monday said, “The UN has verified the killing of eight children in Kashmir.” Guterres said in the report that the casualties in Kashmir occurred mainly due to “torture in detention, shootings, including from pellet guns, and cross-border shelling”. The report also spoke of attacks on nine schools by “unidentified elements”. Guterres said that he was concerned about the detention of 68 children between the ages of nine and 17 on various charges with one of them held for allegedly associating with “armed groups”. He asked the Indian government to take preventive measures to protect children and to ban the use of pellet guns against them. “The UN is concerned about the arrest of children during nocturnal raids in Kashmir, and their detention at army camps, “torture in detention” and detention without due process as he urged the government to end these practices,” the report read. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/16/stop-arresting-children-in-kashmir-ban-pellet-guns-guterres-to-india/

3.     LoC fatalities; Jun., 18, 2020: In yet another ceasefire violation, four civilians, including a woman, were martyred while another sustained injuries when Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC), a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. In 2020, India has so far committed over 1,100 truce violations. Aisha Farooqui, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on the UN to task UNMOGIP to validate Indian claims of “infiltration attempts” and targeting launch pads on the Pakistani side of the border along LoC. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2244810/1-four-civilians-martyred-another-indian-ceasefire-violation-along-loc/

4.     Youth martyred: Jun., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in the territory, today. The troops martyred one youth during a cordon and search operation in Pampore area of Pulwama district. The occupation authorities sealed all entry and exit points of the area and suspended internet service in the district. Another youth was martyred by the troops during a joint operation launched by Indian Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force in Bandpawa area of Imam Sahib in Shopian district. The troops also cordoned off Janglatmandi area in Islamabad district and conducted house-to-house searches. The troops arrested many youth during the operations. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/18/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-3/

5.     Youth martyred: Jun., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred six more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts, today, taking the number of martyred youth in the territory to eight since yesterday. During cordon and search operations, the troops martyred four youth at Bandpawa Chitragam in Shopian and two others inside a mosque in Pampore area of Pulwama, today. The troops had martyred one youth each in these areas, yesterday.Indian police and troops also used brute force and fired teargas shells in Pampore on the demonstrators protesting against the killings.. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/19/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-3/

6.     LoC Fatalities: Jun., 19, 2020: At least four civilians have been killed by Indian shelling inside Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Pakistan's military and local officials said. Three people were killed in the Nakyal region, while a fourth person died after a shell hit her home in the Baghsar area, the military said in a statement released late on Wednesday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/pakistan-civilians-killed-indian-shelling-loc-200618072318096.html

7.     UNHRC: Jun., 20, 2020: In Geneva, the speakers have strongly condemned the Indian brutalities in occupied Kashmir.The speakers at the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council denounced the human rights violations by Indian troops in the occupied territory. They also slammed the extra-judicial killings, arrests, harassment and torture of innocent Kashmiris by the Indian government.The speakers in their speeches demanded the constitution of an inquiry commission to probe the extrajudicial killings in the territory.They also criticised the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi for not allowing the international observers to visit occupied Kashmir and monitor the prevailing situation there.The speakers pointed out that India was committing genocide of Kashmiris and the international community and human rights organisations should take notice of it.They said that India claimed to be the largest democracy but it was committing the worst type of brutalities in the territory https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/19/speakers-in-geneva-condemn-indian-brutalities-in-iok/ 

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9.     Youth martyred: Jun., 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today, taking the number of martyred youth in the territory to nine in last three days. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Lokhdipora in Nehama area of the district.. The occupation authorities suspended internet services in entire Kulgam district.The troops martyred eight youth during violent military operations in Shopian and Pulwama districts during last two days. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/20/indian-troops-martyr-nine-youth-in-iok-in-three-days/

10.  Refugees: Jun., 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the unabated Indian state terrorism during the last thirty one years has forced over forty thousand Kashmiris to live outside the territory as refugees.A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Refugee Day observed, today, revealed that a big number of the Kashmiri refugees lived in the refugee camps in Azad Jammu and Kashmir while many of them lived in Pakistan and in the European countries. The report pointed out that due to the Indian atrocities against the struggling Kashmiris since 1947, over 2.5 million people had taken refuge in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and in the UK.The report referred to the 1951 Refugee Convention which says “a refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”.The report says that the Muslim majority of occupied Kashmir has been facing threat to its existence and religious identity due to the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir for the past several decades, particularly since 2014 when Narendra Modi-led fascist BJP government came into power. It adds that the RSS-backed Modi regime by furthering its Hindutva ideology is hell bent upon converting the Muslim majority in Kashmir into a minority and turn the territory into a Hindu state. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/20/thousands-of-kashmiris-rendered-refugees-in-31-years-2/

11.   LoC Violations: Jun., 22, 2020: A 13-year-old girl was killed and her mother and 12-year-old brother injured in Indian firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday   India has committed 1,440 ceasefire violations since the start of this year, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and causing "serious injuries" to 104 others.  https://dawn.com/news/3000853/13-year-old-killed-two-others-injured-by-indian-firing-on-line-of-control

12.                        Youth martyred: Jun., 22, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Srinagar city, today.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Pazwalpora area of the city. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/21/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-including-phd-scholar-in-iok/ 

Weekly update 41: Human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir from Jun.,9, 2020 to Jun., 15, 2020 

1.      Youth martyred: Jun., 8, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today, raising the toll to 9 in the past two days. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Pinjoora area of the district. Five youth were martyred by the troops in the same area, yesterday. The troops destroyed at least one house during the operation. Hundreds of locals came out of their houses, threw stones on the troops and shouted anti-India slogans.Earlier, three Indian troops were critically injured in a clash in the same area. The authorities suspended all mobile internet services in Shopian district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/08/toll-climbs-to-9-as-troops-martyr-four-more-in-iok/

2.     Youth martyred: Jun., 10, 2020: Shopian occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Sugoo Hendhama area of the district .Those who embraced shahdat are: Sakir Ahmad Pal r/o Molu Dangerpur.; Adil Hussain Lone, r/o Ganaupura.;  Muneeb-Ul- Haq Sheikh ,r/o Sugan; Owais Ahmad Bhat,r/o Molu Chitargam.; and Unknown.

3.     Visa denial: Jun., 12, 2020: India has turned down a travel request for members of a US government panel seeking to review its religious freedom, saying foreign agencies had no standing to assess the constitutional rights of citizens. The visa snub to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday came as the US Congress released its own religious freedom report while a top Trump administration official said he was "very concerned" about the South Asian country's situation US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday released a new 2019 International Religious Freedom Report in Washington, DC. The report, mandated by the US Congress, documents major instances of violations of religious freedom across the world. Referring to India, the report highlighted the revocation of Indian-administered Kashmir's autonomy by the Modi government in August, the passage of the CAA in December, and attacks by Hindu vigilante groups on Muslims and Dalits (community once referred to as "untouchables") over the cow, an animal considered sacred by Hindus."Mob attacks by violent Hindu groups against minority communities, including Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef," said the report, adding that charges were often filed by the police against the victims of mob violence. Hours after the release, Samuel Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Trump administration, said the "trend lines [on religious freedom] have been troubling" in India, according to a report by the Press Trust of India on Wednesday."We do remain very concerned about what's taking place in India. It's historically just been a very tolerant, respectful country of religions, of all religions," Brownback said during a phone call with journalists on Wednesday."It really needs a lot more effort on this topic in India, and my concern is, too, that if those efforts are not put forward, you're going to see a growth in violence and increased difficulty within the society writ large." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/india-denies-visas-panel-religious-freedom-200611070153569.html

4.     Youth martyred: Jun., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam and Islamabad districts, today. The troops martyred two youth each during cordon and search operations at Nipora in Kulgam and in Lallan area of Islamabad. The operations continued till last reports came in. Indian police and troops sealed all entry and exit points of the areas. The occupation authorities suspended internet service in the two districts.  . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/13/indian-troops-martyr-4-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iok/

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