ISLAMABAD , Mar 11 (APP): Kashmiri activists and International Muslim women have criticized the Indian government for its repressive policies aimed at criminalizing freedom of expression and using new censorship methods to stifle critical voices in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The allegations, made during an interactive dialogue hosted by the World Muslim Congress, in partnership with international Muslim women have raised concerns over human rights violations in IIoJK.
The interactive session held in Geneva was attended and addressed by Kashmir Institute of International Relations Chairman Altaf Hussain Wani , Sardar Amjad Yousaf , Dr. Waleed Rasool, Fahim Akram Kayani, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, Dr. Shugafta Ashraf and others.
Briefing the international audience about the Indian government’s massive crackdown-campaign to criminalize freedom of opinion and expression,they highlighted the government’s crackdown on dissenting voices through censorship, arbitrary detentions, and attacks on journalists.
The speakers pointed out that since August 2019, the denial of access to information, censorship, and harassment had become alarmingly frequent, and even journalists, civil society activists, and rights defenders were booked under sedition charges for raising their voice against repression and use of excessive force by the Indian occupied forces.
The speakers also noted that the media freedom in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir had been deteriorating since Modi took the reins of power in New Delhi, with undue restrictions imposed under media policy 2020 having a chilling effect on objective reporting. They called upon the international community to take notice of the human rights violations in Kashmir and hold the Indian government accountable for its actions.
The Kashmiri journalists, they said, have suffered numerous press freedom violations ranging from killings, torture and kidnapping, arrests and detentions under black laws.
“The people’s right to freedom of expression has come under unusual pressure in Kashmir, especially after the Indian government enforced draconian laws such as UAPA and other laws in Kashmiri”, they said, adding that these lawless laws have helped the Indian government to throttle free-media and silence critical voices who refused to toe the government line.
They said that government-aligned militias and so-called investigating agencies have frequently raided homes and offices of pressmen in Srinagar to create a climate of fear.
Referring to the illegal detention of Hurriyat leaders and prominent Kashmiri rights activists, the speakers said, “Political leadership and human rights advocates who have been critical of India’s repressive policy towards Kashmir have been booked under trumped-up charges and thrown in jails”.
