Observer Report
Islamabad
Amnesty International India has called on the Indian government to release all political prisoners in the occupied valley and “put an end to the deliberate silencing of voices in the region”.
In a statement issued on Monday, head of Amnesty International in India Aakar Patel said: “For the 22nd day in a row, life has been derailed for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Condemning the communication blockade and security clampdown, Patel added that the detention of political leaders and restrictions on media to report has created an information black hole in Jammu and Kashmir – a region which has witnessed serious human rights violations in the past.
“Depriving an entire population of their right to freedom of expression, opinion, and movement for an indefinite period run squarely counter to international norms and standards. Worse, it gives the Government of India a near-total control over the information coming out of the region,” added Patel.
