1 week ago
Activists Condemn Pakistan Over Reported PoK Crackdown at Geneva
Activists held a meeting in Geneva about conditions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
They accused Pakistani authorities of using force against people seeking rights.
They said some people were killed, injured, arrested or made to disappear.
They also reported limits on communication and peaceful gatherings.
The activists supported a civil society group called the Joint Awami Action Committee.
They asked for international investigations into the reported abuses.
They want detained people released and missing people accounted for.
They also called for restored internet and mobile services.
Their message was that peacefully asking for rights is not terrorism.
Kashmiri leaders and rights advocates condemned reported abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at a Geneva Press Club conference.
The United Kashmir People’s National Party cited alleged killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, communications blackouts and excessive force.
Participants expressed solidarity with the Joint Awami Action Committee’s peaceful rights movement in the region.
The conference called for independent investigations, accountability, detainee releases and restoration of fundamental freedoms.
UKPNP chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri told the UN Human Rights Council that peaceful dissent should not be treated as terrorism.
- Who
- The United Kashmir People’s National Party, Kashmiri political leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, civil society representatives and activists; Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri also addressed the UN Human Rights Council.
- What
- They condemned reported human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and called for investigations, accountability, detainee releases and restored freedoms.
- Where
- The conference took place at the Geneva Press Club in Geneva, alongside the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
- When
- The conference was held on Tuesday; Shaukat Ali Kashmiri addressed the UN Human Rights Council on Monday and referred to alleged repression since June 5 of this year.
- Why
- The participants sought protection for civilians, democratic rights, rule of law, freedom of movement and expression, and an end to reported repression.
Key facts
- Organiser
- United Kashmir People’s National Party
- Location
- Geneva Press Club, Geneva
- Related event
- 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
- Reported abuses
- Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, communications blackouts and alleged excessive force
- Supported movement
- Joint Awami Action Committee’s peaceful people’s rights movement
- Key demands
- Independent investigations, accountability, release of arbitrary detainees and restoration of communications
- Additional demands
- Democratic self-rule, natural-resource ownership, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, stability and rule of law
Quotes
Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri
Chairman of the United Kashmir People’s National Party and representative of the African Development Association
“Peaceful dissent is not terrorism, and demanding rights is not a crime.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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