South Asia Human Rights Journalist Association

Srinagar, July 25, 2012: Indian troops killed a young 19-year-old boy Hilal Ahmed Dar S/o Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar of Aloosa Bandipore at Sahil Halmathpoa -Ashtengoo Naar area in Aloosa in Bandipora district, official sources said today.

Srinagar, July 19, 2012: In Srinagar, the police authorities arrested Muslim League leader, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, today (Thursday) when he was on his way to a hotel in Srinagar to address a press conference.

Srinagar, July 17 July 2012:  Amnesty International (AI)  has urged the authorities in Kashmir to immediately end the detention of a Sopore youth, Mushtaq Saleem Beig. AI south Asia Director, Ramesh Gopalkrishnan in a statement stressed that if Mushtaq Saleem Beig was to be held on charges of a recognizably criminal offence, and if he was under 18 years old, he be afforded all fair trial guarantees set out in international law and specifically the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by India.

Fri, 06 July 2012 Kashmir Reader- Srinagar: It may take a while for the prosecution to authenticate Indian army Major Avtar Singh’s death in the court, but his ghost continues to haunt his victims in Kashmir.

Major Avtar Singh of the Indian Territorial Army, the prime accused in the 1996 custodial murder of rights activist and lawyer Jaleel Andrabi, was a much feared figure for the locals. He reportedly committed suicide at his Fresno house in the US before shooting his wife and three children on June 10.  

Srinagar, July 6, 2012: Nazir Fatima, 45, of Kamalkot Uri in north Kashmir is mentally disturbed since the day she heard that her son Syed Danish was found dead in Balagunj area of Lucknow, in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Danish’s sister Surkhab Fatima, 17, is yet to believe that her brother, who had gone to Lucknow for IAS coaching, is no more. Same is the situation with Farhat and Nida, two younger sisters of Danish, who are waiting for his return. And Zeeshan and Muntazir, younger brothers of Danish, say “bhaya would return soon.”

Srinagar, June 23, 2012: The Indian Army have revealed that its 24 personnel were terminated from the service for committing human rights violations in Kashmir during the past 18 years.

In response to a right to information (RTI) query filed by Khurram Parvez, the Programme Coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, the Indian Army disclosed that 24 troopers were dismissed from service in Kashmir rsince 1994 for committing crimes like rape, molestation and deaths. However, the Army refused to reveal the names of the troops dismissed from the service.

Srinagar, June 21, 2012:  Partial information gathered from  seven districts of Kashmir including three newly carved out districts reveals that 3400 persons were booked under the draconian law, Public Safety Act (PSA) during the past two decades. 

The information was furnished by the authorities in response to an application filed under Right to Information Act by human rights activist, Khurram Parvez of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, who says the actual number booked under the PSA exceeds 20000.

Srinagar, June 3, 2012:  Four Indian troopers of 25 Rashtriya Rifles barged into the house of one villager and started clicking photographs of women and girls present inside the house. They also misbehaved, abused and attempted to disgrace them in Panchayat Dungan (Barashari) of tehsil Mandi in Pooch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The names of the victims were Shahnaz Akhter, Zaitoon Beguim and Parveen Akhter.

Report:Kashmir Centre European Union (KCEU) in association with International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) hosted an Interactive Dialogue and Roundtable at the UN Office (Palais des Nations) in Geneva on 6th March. The participants of the event entitled 'Arbitrary Detention & Democracies' discussed practices of arbitrary detention in conflict where it leads to torture, execution and other human rights abuses.

Report: UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns has called for repeal of all draconian laws including Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) from occupied Kashmir.
Releasing an interim report of his 12-day visit to India and occupied Kashmir, the UN Special Rapporteur told reporters in New Delhi on March 30, “AFSPA allows the state to override rights. Such a law has no role in a democracy and should be scrapped.”