US Congresswoman slams violations of human rights in Kashmir

Taking a poor view on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, US Congresswoman Debbie Dingell co-sponsored Resolution 745 of the United States Congress, so that the US can let the world know that it won’t stand by while these violations happen.

The situation in Kashmir violates human rights. Thousands have been detained unjustly & millions are without access to the internet & telephones. That’s why I signed onto House Resolution 745 so the U.S. can let the world know we will not stand by while these violations happen.

— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) January 13, 2020

Dingell was talking about the situation that ensued in Kashmir after Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, taking away the state’s special status. Children, activists and political leaders were illegally detained, journalists were barred from showing the ground reality of the situation, emergency medical facilities came to a halt, businesses suffered and communication in the now Union Territory came to a standstill with the curb on internet and telephone services.

Dingell represents the 12^th Congressional District of Michigan. The resolution no. 745 that was introduced in the House last year by Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal now has 36 co-sponsors of whom two are Republicans and 34 from the Democratic Party. It is currently before the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary action.

Apart from urging India to end restrictions on communications and mass detentions in Jammu and Kashmir as swiftly as possible, the resolution also calls upon the government to preserve religious freedom for all residents. It also states that people across the United States maintain ties with family and friends in Jammu and Kashmir and have reported difficulty contacting their loved ones since the communications blockade was imposed on August 5, 2019.

The resolution also reads that international human rights observers have documented the police’s use of excessive force against detained people and excessive and indiscriminate use of pellet shotguns, tear gas, and rubber bullets against protesters; and that India’s Public Safety Act violates article 9(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by allowing authorities to not communicate grounds of detention for up to 10 days of detention, and also to withhold any information considered “to be against the public interest to disclose”.

In conclusion the Resolution read that the House of Representatives, condemn, at the highest levels, all religiously motivated violence, including that violence which targets against religious minorities.

The complete contents of Resolution no. 745 may be read here.

Congressman Brad Sherman also said that had been pushing the US Ambassador to visit Kashmir for a long time and was looking forward to his report, especially the restrictions the Ambassador faced and whether he was able to visit detainees.

(1/2) I’ve been pushing for the U.S. Ambassador to visit #Kashmir for a long time, most noticeable in my comments to Assistant Secretary Wells in our hearing on 10/22/19. I look forward to getting Ambassador Juster’s report.

— Rep. Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) January 10, 2020

Last week, India had invited envoys from 16 countries to get a sense of the security situation in Kashmir, and to understand the threat terrorism poses to the Union Territory.

The envoys had met political leaders including Ghulam Hasam Mir, Altaf Bukhari and Shoaib Iqbal Lone among others.

This was the second tour of foreign delegates to J&K since August 5, 2019. In October, the Centre had invited members of the European Union in a bid to portray an air of normalcy in Kashmir and had faced a lot of flak for the same.