Four youth martyred in occupied Kashmir

Occupying forces suffer multiple casualties

At least four Kashmiri youth were martyred early Tuesday as Indian occupying forces continued to unleash violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were martyred during a cordon and search operation in Nadigam area of Shopian district.

Last night, an Indian Para Commando was killed and three others injured in the same vicinity. In Samba district, an Indian Border Security Force (PSF) trooper was killed in a blast.



Earlier this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a report revealing “impunity for human rights violations and lack of access to justice” to be human rights challenges in the Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

“Special laws in force in the state, such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1990 (AFSPA) and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) have created structures that obstruct normal course of law, impede accountability and jeopardise the right to remedy for victims of human rights violations.”

The OHCHR also revealed continued impunity for enforced disappearances with “little movement towards a credible investigation of complaints including an inquiry into alleged sites of mass graves”. It added that the occupying authorities failed to independently investigate and prosecute allegations of sexual violence by security forces personnel.

The report also found that Indian military courts and tribunals were a hindrance to justice and highlighted administrative detention used by the Indian authorities in IoK to “circumvent the protections of ordinary criminal procedure. Introduced in 1978 to primarily deal with timber smugglers, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) is the most commonly used law for the purpose of administrative detention”.

The excessive use of force by Indian forces in held-Kashmir was also stressed in the report. “The killing of civilians between 2016 and 2018 raises the question of whether security forces resorted to excessive use of force to respond to protesters, some of whom were throwing rocks. International human rights groups have accused Indian security forces of using excessive force and failing to adhere to applicable national and international standards on the use of force,” it said.