South Asia Human Rights Journalist Association

Pulwama, Nov 23, 2019: After July 8, 2016 so deadly along with men, women and young boys and girls were  hit by lead pellets fired by Indian forces and police personnel on mourners and protesters in Kashmir valley. As of now, there is no particular study done to find out, how many women were hit with pellets, but even conservative estimates would suggest a shockingly-high number. And Ifrah Shakoor is one of them.  Ifrah Shakoor, who lost her father killed by Indian froces during crackdown operation and clashes, waits in the kitchen in her house in Rahmoo in south Kashmir district Pulwama. She is expecting her sister to bring “nun chai- Kashmiri tea”, which is served in the Kashmir Valley during mornings and evenings. As she waits, Abdul Aziz, her 65-year-old grandfather joins her. 
She instantly asks her grandfather, “Wen Kar chu hasptal tarun (When do we have to visit hospital)”, which he replied March 15 , 2017 Ifrah was referring to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in Srinagar city, where she has gone through four eye surgeries after she was hit by pellets in October 2016.

By Naureen M. Haroon on November 19, 2019:  Last August, shortly after India revoked the autonomous status of the disputed Kashmir valley, the British medical journal The Lancet published an editorial expressing concern about the physical and mental health of Kashmiris. Pointing to “gross human rights violations by state security forces and armed groups,” in the region—often described as the world’s most militarized zone—it lamented the suffering of civilians caught between militants and tens of thousands of Indian troops. Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 50,000 people have been killed there since 1989. The “people of Kashmir need healing from the deep wounds of this decades-old conflict, not subjugation to further violence and alienation,” the editors concluded.
 

Srinagar, November 20 : Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 894 children during the last thirty years. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Children Day, today, revealed that 894 children were among the 95,469 civilians martyred by In

Srinagar, November 16, 2019: The 33-year-old Parvez Ahmad Pallavi who is a cancer patient was arrested by Indian police on August 6 this year from his house in Matibugh in Kulgam was shifted to Indian jail in Utter Pardesh. Parvez Ahmad Pallavi ,a pro-freedom activist is facing so many health problems  .

Srinagar, November 16, 2019: Indian Police arrested five persons in north Kashmir’s Sopore and Kupwara areas. Three persons arrested by police personnel during house raids identified as Hilal Ahmad, Sahil Nazir both residents of Brath-Kalan Sopore and Peerzada Mohammad Zahir resident of Check Brath Sopore were arrested.

New Delhi, November 16 , 2019: The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the southern Indian city Bengaluru and in capital city New Delhi offices of human rights group Amnesty International India. Reacting to the CBI’s action, the Amnesty International India said that the organization was being targeted for speaking out against human rights violations in the country. The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed it raided the Bengaluru and New Delhi offices of Amnesty International India over violation of rules involving foreign funding.

Washington, November 15, 2019 : The United States lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on human rights have once again expressed concerns about the grim situation in Jammu and Kashmir.   The United States (US) lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on human rights organized by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission once again expressed concerns on the continued restrictions, detentions and curbs on religious freedom in occupied Kashmir. Indian-American Congresswoman and Democrat, Pramila Jayapal, at the hearing said that she was deeply concerned by Indian government’s actions in Kashmir including detaining people without charge, severely limiting communications and blocking third parties from visiting. She was joined by other Democrats, Sheila Jackson Lee, David Trone and David Cicilline as well as Arunima Bhargava, commissioner from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom who criticized New Delhi for its moves in occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of the abrogation of the special status of the territory. Similar concerns were raised by a congressional hearing last month. Witnesses examined the situation in the occupied territory and recommended action by the Congress, similar to the last hearing held on October 22, 2019.

Srinagar, November 13, 2019: A shopkeeper was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Tral town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday.Reports said that  during cordon and search operation the unknown gunmen fired upon a shopkeeper identified as Meiraj-ud-din, leaving him injured critically , however, he succumbed his injuries on the way when he was rushed to a nearby hospital.