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Amnesty targets India again
Srinagar—Amnesty International Friday criticized
India for its poor human rights record in Kashmir.
The annual global assessment report of human rights, ‘Amnesty
International Report 2008 State of the World’s Human Rights’ in its
Jammu and Kashmir section says, “State and non-state actors continue
to enjoy impunity for torture, deaths in custody, abduction and
unlawful killings.”
The report which covers 150 countries was published ahead of the
60th anniversary of the human rights declaration adopted on December
10, 1948.
The reports was released in India by Prof. Mushirul Hasan,
Vice-Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia, actor-Author and activist
Sadia Dehlvi, senior journalist, Vinod Varshney and Mukul Sharma,
Director, Amnesty International India.
“State and non-state actors continued to enjoy impunity for torture,
deaths in custody, abductions, unlawful killings and disappearances.
Little progress was made in the peace initiatives over Kashmir.
Giving brief details about the ‘enforced disappearances’ in Kashmir,
the report says, “A human rights organization reported that in the
past 18 years, 1051 people had been victims of enforced
disappearances in Baramulla alone.
Human rights organizations challenged official claims that there had
been no disappearances until November 10, 2007, saying that 60
people had disappeared since 2006 including nine in 2007.
Commenting on the report, Association of Parents of Disappeared
Persons (APDP) Chairperson, Parveena Ahangar said, “We demand the
whereabouts of our children who have gone missing or were abducted.
We have been appealing to the Government to cancel the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA).”
However the Amnesty International Human Rights report also reads
that the AFSPA, 1958, was not repealed by India despite widespread
protests.
“I agree with what the Amnesty International report that no
significant progress has been made in the resolution of Kashmir
dispute,” said Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Geelani.
“From 1947 onwards, some 130 different dialogues have taken place
between India and Pakistan but nothing concrete has come up with
regard to Kashmir resolution,” he said.
Amnesty International had last month called upon New Delhi to have a
probe into the surface of unidentified mass graves in north Kashmir
as per UN protocol.
Amnesty International’s Report 2008, shows that sixty years after
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United
Nations, people are still tortured or ill-treated in at least 81
countries, face unfair trials in at least 54 countries and are not
allowed to speak freely in at least 77 countries.—NNI
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