Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It’s the day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document in human history which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being, regardless of sex, color, religion, ethnicity, language, political or other opinion, nationality, birth or other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. This UDHR is available in more than 500 languages; it is the most translated document in the world. The Indian government violates many human rights through its repressive administration over Kashmir. Human rights abuses in IIOJK range from mass killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual abuse to political repression and suppression of freedom of speech. Indian Security Forces operate with pretty much impunity in IIOJ&K. The draconian security laws, e.g. Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978, The Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1990, Prevention of Terrorism Act 2002, give extraordinary powers to Indian security personnel to shoot and kill unarmed civilians. These infamous laws encourage the use of lethal forces in IIOJ&K against innocent people. The U.N. office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released two reports in 2018 and 2019 accusing India of grave human rights violations in Kashmir and called for the formation of a commission of inquiry into the allegations. According to Kashmir Media Service, since 1989, Indian forces have committed numerous crimes against innocent Kashmiris; detail as follows:- o Total killings – 96,278o Custodial killings – 7,322o Civilians arrested – 168,939o Structure destroyed / damaged – 110,509o Women widowed – 22,968o Children orphaned – 1,07,941o Women gang-raped / molested – 11,259o Pellet guns’ injuries – 3,800 Indian state has become the largest violator of human rights that are guaranteed in the UDHR. From genocide in Kashmir to suppression of religious minorities, India has become an apartheid state where human rights and “equality” have become a far-flung idea. On this International Human Rights Day, the United States and the European Union must rise above their economic and strategic interests and call for the protection of human rights in Indian minorities and Kashmiris in IIOJ&K.
Human Rights Day 10 December
