Speakers voice concern over criminalization of freedom of expression in IIOJK

ISLAMABAD, Mar 16 (APP): Speakers at a webinar hosted by the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) in collaboration with the World Muslim Congress (WMC) have voiced grave concern over the criminalization of dissent by Modi’s racist regime in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The webinar titled “Criminalization of Freedom of Expression in IIOJK” was held on the sidelines of 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Panelists hailing from different parts of the world included Ms Mary Scully, Robert Fantina author and journalist, Barrister Tanvir Munim, Sheni Hamid, Advocate Nasir Qadri, Ms Naila Altaf Kiyani, Prof. Dr. Shugufta Ashraf, and others.

The event was moderated by KIIR Chairman Altaf Hussain Wani, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.

The KIIR chief, in his initial remarks, said the right to freedom of peaceful expression was a fundamental right of every human being. It was enshrined in Article 19 of the UN Human Rights Bill.

A raft of other international treaties, he added, also guaranteed the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of right to expression, and opinion. The fundamental freedoms were central for living in an open and free society, in which people could access justice and other judicial remedies.

Defending these rights, he said, had been a core part of the HR organizations. “Ironically, in today’s Kashmir these essential freedoms remain largely suspended and virtually non-existent”, he said. Surveillance on print and digital media, ban on political activities, peaceful assembly and right to expression and witch-hunt against the Kashmiri rights activists by the Indian occupation authorities went largely unnoticed at international level.

The Kashmiris, he said, had been at the receiving end for the last 30 years, however, in the aftermath of 5th August 2019 the situation in the region had deteriorated to an alarming level. Since then the “Sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been weaponized by India’s racist regime and used routinely against critics of its repressive policies,” he added.

Wani said the Press Council of India – a government body, in its report had documented evidence of many Kashmiri journalists that spoke volumes about how the Indian government was using repressive laws to stifle the dissent in the region.

The use and abuse of the infamous laws by the Indian authorities had led to ruthless suppression of dissent in the region, he added. “Be it a political worker, journalist, civil society activist or a human rights defender everyone is being silenced by being accused of sedition and other offenses under these draconian laws.”

Citing Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other international laws, the panelists stated that the law clearly stated that “everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression.”

However, it was unfortunate that India’s apartheid regime had been using the laws as a tool to criminalize peaceful expression in the disputed territory.

In addition to the Indian government’s control of the communication process, they observed that the unwanted and uncalled for curbs on media such as surveillance, formal/informal investigations, harassment, intimidation, and restrictions in all the process of news gathering had hugely hampered the journalistic activities in the region, besides undermining the role of free media.

Voicing their grave concern over the prevailing situation in the region, the panelists said, “India has time and again used black laws to stifle the dissent in the territory and suppress the people’s legitimate resistance for the realization of the right to self-determination.”

Describing the laws as the biggest threat to freedom of expression in IIOJK, they said criminal defamation, violence against journalists, limits on the right to information, commercial pressures, and mechanisms to seek control over the media were among the worst tactics the Indian government has been using to silence the independent media and journalists in Kashmir.

The speakers said, “In recent years, India’s criminal defamation laws have been used against journalists, activists, and other citizens, raising their voice against the policies of oppression and suppression of the Indian government.”

The panelists said, “The occupied territory has witnessed an alarming increase in attacks on peaceful speech and expression, especially after August 5, 2019 when Indians in brazen violation of the international covenants stripped Kashmir of its special status.”

They said it was high time that the international community should take effective notice of the situation in the held territory and pressurize the Indian government to restore all fundamental freedoms in Kashmir.

APP Services