Geneva: Veteran rights activist and vice Chairman Jammu and Kashmir National Front Altaf Hussain Wani while highlighting the plight of human rights activists in Indian occupied Kashmir has urged the united nations to declare rights activists working in restive region as internationally protected persons.
He said that civil society in Indian occupied Kashmir have been facing visa restrictions, confiscation of passports, travel bans and arbitrary police investigation and detentions at the hands of occupation authorities.
“Activists movements are thwart and their interactions with those abroad restricted”, Wani said this while speaking on behalf of World Muslim Congress during general debate held under agenda item 5 at UNHRC’s 39th session here on Monday.
“One of the precarious situation for human rights defenders is Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Indian government feels threatened by an dissent , they label human rights concerns as illegal outside interference in their sovereignty”, he said adding that the rights activists were facing administrative and legal repercussions for their advocacy or ability to receive funding to survive.
“It is important for the collective human rights community and the United Nations membership at large to recall the circumstances that led to the deceleration and unanimous adoption of the Universal deceleration of human rights 70 years ago”, Wani said adding that the government of Indian was engaged in intimidation and reprisals against the members of civil society, whose crime he said was nothing but to cooperate with UN.
Wani said that United Nations owes them support and protection from state reprisals and declare them internationally protected persons
