The United Nations called Friday for impartial investigations into dozens of reported deaths that have occurred in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk “appeals for calm in Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” his spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.
The call, he said, came after dozens of people, mostly protesters but also some law enforcement personnel, have reportedly been killed since June ahead of a vote for the region’s legislative assembly on July 27.
Turk wants “prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all deaths that have occurred due to the unrest, both amongst protesters and members of security forces,” Laurence added.
Supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an anti-government movement demanding economic and governance reforms, have been pressing ahead with protests despite the group being banned under anti-terrorism laws last month, allegedly for threatening public order and security.
Days of violent clashes between police and protesters led by the JAAC also gripped the Himalayan region last September, with nine confirmed killed.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been divided between them since their independence from British rule.
The area is considered highly sensitive by the Pakistani military and government after years of frequent skirmishes and full-blown wars with India.
The rights office decried the recent arrests of some of JAAC’s leaders, warning that “the criminalization of a civil society organization and imposition of strict limitations on gatherings raise serious concerns about infringements on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”
It called for the detained JAAC leaders to be given access to legal representation and their families, insisting: “Their rights to due process and fair trial must be fully guaranteed.”
Laurence also highlighted concerns around internet restrictions in the area, cautioning that they “disproportionately restrict the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and impart information at a time when tensions are running high.”
“We urge the authorities to ensure full internet access throughout the territory,” he said.
Turk, he added, was calling for “meaningful and inclusive political dialogue to address the underlying issues and grievances of the local population.”
