Kashmiri Delegates Urge UN Action Over Rights Abuses in IIOJK

September 9, 2026 at 7:28 PM
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‎GENEVA: Kashmiri delegates have highlighted the abysmal human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) at the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and called for prompt action by the international community.

In separate statements, Kashmiri delegates, including Advocate Pervez Ahmed Shah, Shamim Shawl, Mehr in Nisa, Dr. Shugufta Ashraf and Dr. Sajjad Khan, called for greater international attention, monitoring and concrete measures to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the territory.

The delegates urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to strengthen monitoring mechanisms, seek impartial scrutiny of human rights violations, and call on India to uphold due process, end judicial harassment and ensure accountability for violations.

They also expressed serious concern over the intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and political activists, as well as violations of due process affecting individuals involved in human rights advocacy and political expression in the region.

While thanking the High Commissioner for his global update, the Kashmiri delegates lamented that it did not adequately address the deteriorating detention situation in the IIOJK.

IIOJK jails holding more than 5,300 inmates

The delegates said that more than 3,000 Kashmiris had been taken into custody by August this year, while prisons across the region were holding more than 5,300 inmates against a sanctioned capacity of just 3,600.

‎They referred to the case of prominent Kashmiri political leader Yasin Malik, who recently filed an affidavit seeking the death penalty for himself while denying involvement in the alleged crime.

The delegates described the development as a troubling indication of possible coercion and despair, arguing that it reflected a growing erosion of public confidence in due process and the justice system.

The delegates also raised concerns over the continued imprisonment and prosecution of Malik and other Kashmiri political prisoners. They said that prolonged incarceration and continuing legal proceedings raised serious questions about due process and what they described as the criminalisation of political expression.

Concerns over arbitrary detentions

They further highlighted concerns over arbitrary detentions, restrictions on freedom of expression and the continued surveillance and harassment of human rights defenders and activists.

‎They also exposed Indian political and administrative machinations in IIOJK, saying that such measures were affecting the region’s identity and demographic character.

‎They specifically condemned the continued surveillance and restrictions faced by human rights activists, including Khurram Pervez and others.

The delegates called for greater international scrutiny of these developments and urged the international community to ensure that fundamental rights, due process and the protection of human rights defenders remained central to its engagement with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

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The Kashmiri delegates called for continued international scrutiny of the human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and urged the High Commissioner to closely monitor cases involving political prisoners and human rights defenders and to press India to uphold fundamental rights and due process.

‎‎It is pertinent to mention that the Kashmiri delegation, headed by KIIR Chairman Altaf Hussain Wani, is currently in Geneva to attend the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

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