HRD: How Far Kashmiris Have Secured Their Rights in IIOJK?

On Human Rights Day, today, IIOJK continues to endure unrelenting oppression, with its people denied the most basic of freedoms for over seven decades.

As the world observes Human Rights Day, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains trapped in an ongoing cycle of Indian occupation, marked by rampant human rights violations. Despite the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, not a single one of its 30 rights is respected in IIOJK. For over 77 years, India has ignored international law, killing, torturing, and humiliating Kashmiris, who merely seek their right to self-determination.

Indian forces have murdered 96,383 Kashmiris, including 7,370 in custody or fake encounters since 1989. Thousands of women have been widowed, children orphaned, and communities devastated as Indian troops have destroyed homes, sexually assaulted women, and enforced disappearances. Young Kashmiris, including children as young as 19 months, have been maimed by pellets during protests, a testimony to the regime’s cruelty.

The situation worsened after India’s 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s special status, which led to further atrocities. Since then, over 950 Kashmiris have been martyred, and more than 135 women have been sexually assaulted during military operations. Restrictions on religious freedoms, including prayer gatherings and festivals, have intensified, highlighting the occupation’s disregard for the basic rights of Kashmiris.

Thousands of political leaders, activists, and human rights defenders remain imprisoned under false charges in India’s notorious Tihar Jail and jails across India and IIOJK. Among them are prominent figures like Masarrat Alam Butt, Yasin Malik, and Aasiya Andrabi, all denied justice and subjected to inhumane conditions. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the spiritual leader of Kashmir, remains under house arrest, unable to fulfill his political and religious duties.

The international community must act now to hold India accountable. The United Nations and human rights organizations must send teams to investigate these widespread violations and press India to halt its reign of terror and grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination. The world cannot remain silent any longer as Kashmiris suffer under relentless oppression.