Islamabad : Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) has published biannual report on severe human rights violations and war crimes in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The report sheds light on the first six months of 2024 (January-June) that saw a continued trend of state repression and counter-insurgency operations in the war-trampled region of (IIOJK).
Here is the Part 2 of the report;
SOME INSTANCES OF ‘ATROCITY CRIMES’ PERPETRATED BY THE OCCUPYING FORCE SINCE JANUARY 2024
On 05th January, VDC member identified as Balwant Singh, son of Prem Nath, a resident of Kharangal Gandoh Doda was found dead near his home. The VDCs have been accused of numerous human rights violations including dozens of extra judicial killings and rape cases.
On 15th April, Baramulla police in Indian occupied Kashmir booked 8 civilians under Public safety Act.
On 04th of May, an armed resistance group carried an attack on convoy of IAF killing one corporal and injuring four others.
On 10th june 2024, At least nine people were killed and 33 injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge after a suspected militant attack in Reasi District of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The attack came at a time Narendra Modi was taking oath as prime minister for a record- equalling third term.
On 29th june the first batch of hindu pilgrims began the annual Amarnath Yatra in the Kashmir Valley amid heightened security. Around fifteen thousand pilgrims took the journey on the first day from both the base camps in Baltal in Sonamarg and Nunwan in Pahalgam. Around 60-70 thousand troops have been deployed to secure the Amarnath Yatra routes in the Union Territory. Multiple security review meetings were held before the start of the Yatra to make sure that every nook and corner of the Yatra was fully sanitised and secured.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION, ASSEMBLY, AND FREE MOVEMENT
Indian occupying authorities in IOJK continued to unduly restrict and cripple the Right of expression, association, free movement and peaceful gatherings. These measures disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, exacerbating their socio- economic conditions and inhibiting their right to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
In any armed conflict or occupation, respecting religious convictions has been a
fundamental guarantee applicable to all persons. The Geneva Convention (GC) IV
impose a duty on occupying power to facilitate the religious rights of occupied
inhabitants without any distinction or impediment.
Further, the GC III also gives Chaplains & religious personnel equal protection as medical personnel and religious organisations are, under certain circumstances, equated to relief societies.
The occupying authorities in IOJK curb religious freedom on the pretext of a law- and-order problem. In the last six months, the local administration barred Kashmiri Muslims from offering Eid prayers in the historical Jamia mosque and Eidgah.
Recently, on 30th of June 2024, a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir police and revenue officials in Kathua district tried to dismantle the mosque early morning with four bulldozers allegedly built on government land. The government officials also make an attempt to desecrate the holy books.
Territorial integrity principle from position of Kashmir conflict – by – Kamran A. Behbudov
ARBITRARY DETENTIONS UNDER PSA AND UAPA
Government of India is making a mockery of its human rights commitments and Justice system by denying Kashmiris a free space to decide their future, jailing political leaders, and suspending basic freedoms. Several thousand Kashmiris, including politicians and opposition activists, were arbitrarily detained under preventive detention law on August 5, 2019, when the Indian Parliament unilaterally abrogated the semi-autonomous status of disputed territory.
The occupying authorities detained nearly 4,000 people, including supporters of political parties, separatist leaders, lawyers, journalists, and people who allegedly had records of participating in violent protests. There have been serious allegations of torture and beatings. Many detainees have not been allowed to contact their families or lawyers.
In the first six months of 2024, Torture & ill-treatment remained rile in detention centers of IOJK and High-security cells designed for Kashmiri prisoners outside Jammu & Kashmir Jails.
A total 108 Kashmiris were booked under the Lawless Public Safety Act, and more
than 657 were arrested on different criminal charges.
The Kashmiri prisoners languishing in Indian jails have become more vulnerable due to the ongoing heatwave in most parts of North India. The heatwave has so far claimed around 275 lives, with numbers growing exponentially as temperatures in Delhi reportedly reached 127.22 degrees Fahrenheit, marking the highest ever recorded in India.
Almost a hundred Kashmiri political prisoners are currently incarcerated in New
Delhi’s Tihar jail for their pro-freedom activism and advocacy for Kashmiri’s right to
self-determination. A family member of a 62-year-old Kashmiri political prisoner,
named Asiya, stated, “Our people’s skin is peeling off in the heat of Tihar (jail). They
keep towels dipped in water on their heads to survive. High voltage bulbs are kept on
all day that also emit additional heat and you are not allowed to turn them off.”
Kashmiri political prisoners are at a higher risk as their bodies are not acclimatized at
all to the climate of India. It is evident that the state’s incarceration of Kashmiri
political prisoners in such an environment that is hostile to their bodies, and then the
denial of any relief to them, is a systematic way of torturing them. In the words of a
family member of an incarcerated Kashmiri political prisoner, “This is India’s
weaponization of climate change against Kashmiri prisoners.”
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