Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
SRINAGAR—United Nations Special Rapporteurs have rapped India for “unnecessary and excessive use of force” against journalists and human rights defenders.
Special Rapporteurs are independent experts tasked to monitor and report human rights. They are appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Special Rapporteurs have mentioned two journalists, Akash Hassan and Qazi Shibli, from Kashmir and Chandrabhushan Tiwari from Bihar.
“We are deeply concerned that the unwarranted attacks against the journalists may be an attempt to clamp down on freedom of expression and silence reporting on human rights issues in India,” the UN Special Rapporteurs said.
It is of utmost concern that both Tiwari (Bihar) and Aakash Hassan (from Kashmir) appear to have been beaten by police officers allegedly merely for carrying out their journalistic profession or being identified as members of the press, they said.
Aakash Hassan is an independent journalist in Kashmir. “Hassan reportedly shared details of the attack and images of his injuries on social media. Shortly after the incident, a superintendent of the Anantnag District Police contacted Hassan to inform him that the police would investigate the incident. However, at the time of writing, Hassan has allegedly received no information on any investigation carried out into the attack,” the UN Special Rapporteurs said.
If confirmed, these attacks would raise serious concerns regarding the environment in India for the lawful exercise of the journalistic profession, they said.
“We also expressed our deep concern regarding the alleged raids on the home of Qazi Shibli and his family members,” UN Special Rapporteurs said.
Qazi Shibli is a journalist and editor of the news website The Kashmiriyat in Anantnag city. “We fear that these raids are a worrying illustration of a pattern of targeted harassment of journalists in Jammu and Kashmir, raising further serious concerns regarding the ability of journalists to exercise their profession free from threats or intimidation,” said the UN Special Rapporteurs.
Earlier, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, said that there was “deep concern” at the arrest of Kashmiri Human Rights defender Khurram Parvez under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi called his statement “baseless and unfounded” against Indian security forces.
“It also betrays a complete lack of understanding on the part of the OHCHR of the security challenges faced by India from cross-border terrorism and its impact on the most fundamental human right ‘the Right to Life’ of our citizens, including in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
On November 23, National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Khurram Parvez, the programme coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and chairman of the Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearance, in a terror funding case.
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