The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir is a civil society group seeking to ensure that continuing human rights violations do not go unnoticed in the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. On the second anniversary of the military lockdown and loss of statehood combined with the division of the state, arbitrary detentions continue, public assembly is still prohibited under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (CrPC), and close to 1,000 people are still in prison- including minors and elected legislators. The tourist industry showed signs of a recovery earlier in 2021, but this was halted with the second wave of covid 19. With the dual impact of the lockdown and the covid-19 pandemic, industries are reeling, and the J&K administration appears to have added a new vigilantism against government employees whose social media content is now subject to police scrutiny for “anti-national activities”- potentially leading to dismissal.

Topics: list of rights that continue to be violated, civilian security, children, women and health, land, demography and identity rights, industry and employment, freedom of media, speech and information

Terms: media gag, information blockade, arbitrary detention, violation of habeas corpus, denial of freedom of speech, denial of free expression, denial of right to a free press, denial of freedom of movement, denial of the right to life, denial of access to justice, denial of thereight to free assembly, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Border Security Forces (BSF), cordon and search operations, violation of economic rights, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Public Safety Act (PSA), Special Task Force (STF), Unlawful Activities PRevention Act (UAPA), Village Defence Committees (VDCs)

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