{"id":5631,"date":"2020-08-05T07:13:24","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T07:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationaldiplomat.com\/?p=5631"},"modified":"2020-08-05T07:13:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T07:13:24","slug":"un-experts-call-for-urgent-action-to-remedy-alarming-human-rights-situation-in-jammu-and-kashmir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=5631","title":{"rendered":"UN experts call for urgent action to remedy \u201calarming\u201d human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir"},"content":{"rendered":"

UN experts call for urgent action to remedy \u201calarming\u201d human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir<\/strong><\/p>\n

GENEVA (4 August 2020) \u2013 A year after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, UN human rights experts* today called on India and the international community to take urgent action to address the alarming human rights situation\u00a0in the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cUrgent action is needed,\u201d the experts said. \u201cIf India will not take any genuine and immediate steps to resolve the situation, meet their obligations to investigate historic and recent cases of human rights violations and prevent future violations, then the international community should step up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the Indian Parliament\u00a0revoked the constitutionally mandated status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019,\u00a0\u201cthe human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free fall,\u201d the experts said. \u201cWe are particularly concerned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many protestors are still in detention and Internet restrictions remain in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been almost a year since\u00a0several UN experts wrote to the Government and\u00a0publicly called<\/a>\u00a0on India to end the crackdown on freedom of expression, access to information and peaceful protests which followed the 05 August 2019 announcement. The experts have also raised concerns with the Indian government about alleged\u00a0arbitrary detention and torture and ill-treatment\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0to which the Government recently replied, as well as the\u00a0criminalization of journalists covering the situation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the detention and deteriorating health of a high profile human rights lawyer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have yet to receive any reply to three of the four letters,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

The October 2019 closure of the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission, which had been one of the few ways victims of human rights violations could seek remedy, is particularly concerning. Furthermore, no information was provided to the public about what would happen to the ongoing cases the body had been investigating, including hundreds of suspected enforced disappearances dating from as far back as 1989. Allegations regarding thousands of unmarked and some mass graves sites have also not yet been properly investigated.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecades on, families are still waiting in anguish and now there is a stream of new alleged rights violations,\u201d the experts said. \u201cWith no State Human Rights Commission and internet restrictions, the avenues for reporting are further reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2011, India extended an open invitation to Special Rapporteurs to visit, but has several requests pending. \u201cWe call on India to schedule pending visits as a matter of urgency, particularly of the experts dealing with torture and disappearances,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

\n

The experts: Agn\u00e8s\u00a0 Callamard,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on\u00a0extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Ahmed Shaheed<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Cl\u00e9ment Nyaletsossi Voule,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Irene Khan<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression<\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0Fabian Salvioli<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Fionnuala D. N\u00ed Aol\u00e1in<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Leigh Toomey<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(Chair-Rapporteur),\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Elina Steinerte<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Vice-Chair),\u00a0<\/em>Jos\u00e9 Guevara Berm\u00fadez, Seong-Phil Hong,\u00a0 S\u00e8tondji Adjovi<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0Working Group on\u00a0Arbitrary Detention<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0\u00a0Luciano Hazan<\/strong>\u00a0(Chair),\u00a0Tae-Ung Baik<\/strong>\u00a0(Vice Chair),\u00a0Bernard Duhaime<\/strong>,\u00a0Houria Es-Slami<\/strong>, and\u00a0Henrikas Mickevi\u010dius<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Mary Lawlor<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders<\/a>;\u00a0Nils Melzer<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment<\/a><\/em>;<\/p>\n

The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the\u00a0Special Procedures<\/a>\u00a0of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UN experts call for urgent action to remedy \u201calarming\u201d human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir GENEVA (4 August 2020) \u2013 A year after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, UN human rights experts* today called on India and the international community to take urgent action to address the alarming human rights
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