FIDH's oral statement (Item 4, UN Human Rights Council) on the human rights situations in Afghanistan and Kashmir. FIDH notes "a new wave of serious human rights violations by Indian government authorities" triggered by the death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani amid "rampant abuse of repressive anti-terrorism legislation and a total lack of accountability." FIDH calls on the UN Human rights Council to "take immediate action" and establish "independent investigative mechanisms to monitor human rights violations and promote accountability" in Kashmir.
Topics: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, human rights violations, lack of accountability
Terms: violation of right to free expression, violation of right to free movement, violation of right to free assembly, harrassment of journalists, arbitrary treatment, disproportionate treatment, repression, abuse of anti-terror legislation, impunity, lack of accountability
Equally disturbing are recent developments in Kashmir, where the death of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani triggered a new wave of serious human rights violations by Indian government authorities, including severe restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, movement, and assembly, and harassment of journalists.
While this curbs have been progressively lifted, the overall human rights situation remains grim. People in Kashmir can be subjected to arbitrary, unnecessary, and disproportionate restrictions on their rights at any time amid a rampant abuse of repressive anti-terrorism legislation and a total lack of accountability by the authorities.
The Council must take immediate action to address these situations by establishing independent investigative mechanisms to monitor human rights violations and promote accountability in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
September 2021
Originally published
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