In this press release, Amnesty International India condemns the Government and the Army’s legal impunity in J&K, their relentless crackdown on independent voices and activists, failure to abide by international human rights law, failure to abide by the constitution of India, and their failure to protect minorities and the civilian population from human rights abuses. Amnesty International India calls for prompt, independent and impartial investigations into the recent killings by armed groups.

Topics: violence against religious minority, violence against Hindu minority in Kashmir, state impunity, collective punishment, mass human rights abuses, abrogation of Article 370, legal impunity, harassment of human rights defenders 

Terms: Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, collective punishment, state impunity, excessive use of force, harassment of human rights defenders, crackdown on civil rights activists, judicial failure, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, custodial torture, custodial rape, custodial killings, violation of proportionality principle, violation of necessity principle, impunity, failure of accountability

India is “Not Free”, with a score of 27/100 (7/40 for Political Rights and 20/60 for Civil Liberties). Control of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1948, andIndian-administered Kashmir long enjoyed substantial autonomy under India’s constitution. Civil liberties have also been curtailed to quell ongoing public opposition to the reorganisation. Indian security forces are frequently accused of human rights violations, but few are punished.

Topics: access to information and internet, freedom of assembly, minority rights, electoral freedom, political pluralism and participation, government functioning, freedom of expression and belief, associational and organisational rights, rule of law, personal autonomy and individual rights

Terms: internet shutdowns, right to freedom of assembly, right to free and fair elections, right to freedom of speech, right to political self-determination, right to dissent

Three journalists told CPJ on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal, that reporting in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has become so difficult that dozens of Kashmiri journalists have fled the valley in recent months, fearing they will be the government’s next targets.

Topics: fear of reprisal, targeting of journalists in Jammu and Kashmir, media censorship and lack of freedom of speech, Hindutva leadership, restrictions on mobility of journalists

Terms: arbitrary detention of Sajad Gul, Fahad Shah of the Kashmir Walla and Aasif Sultan from the Kashmir Narrator, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Kashmir Narrator, Kashmir Walla, arrest of journalist Aakash Hasan, Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA)

The Concerned Citizens’ Group (a group of senior former Indian government officials and civil society activists) made its tenth visit to Jammu and Kashmir from March 20 to 25, 2022. The visit took place after the Delimitation Commission had made its report public and in the immediate aftermath of the release of “The Kashmir Files.” Some of their findings include a perception of deepened communalism, greater political mistrust, poor media freedom. 

Topics: worsening public mood, environment of political distrust, media in distress, unusual success story of Satyagraha, The Kashmir Files: the film and its impact, the situation in Jammu, wooing the Pahari community, Jammu trade and business upset

Terms: The Kashmir Files, communalism, Kashmiri Pandit exodus, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), communal propaganda, lack of freedom of speech, lack of media freedom, abolition of Kashmir Press Club, establishment of Tosamaidan Development Authority, elections, Pahari community, lack of political representation and self determination

This submission focuses on the situation for Human Rights Defenders and civil society organizations and relevant restrictions on freedom of association and expression in India since the country’s third UPR in May 2017. This submission provides an update on relevant legislative developments since 2017, focusing in particular on legislation that has further restricted the work of human rights organisations and HRDs. Secondly, the submission reports on the judicial harassment faced by HRDs in India. Thirdly, the submission analyzes the restrictions placed on CSOs by the government, primarily through the FCRA, and documents cases of CSOs being targeted by the government in recent years. Finally, the submission provides recommendations for India’s fourth UPR cycle.

Topics: legislative developments since India’s third UPR, judicial harassment of HRDs, FCRA used as a tool to silence criticism, recommendations

Terms: human rights defenders, National Security Act (NSA), Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA), Indian Penal Code, Khurram Parvez, Kashmiri journalists, Fahad Shah, Qazi Shibli, Sajad Gul, Masrat Zahra, Peerzada Ashiq, Shujaat Bukhari