UN human rights chief Volker Turk has voiced concern over the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as he called on the international community to intensify efforts to defend fundamental freedoms and the institutions founded to promote them.
Addressing the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Turk said, “I am concerned by the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists resulting in arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, including in Kashmir”. India’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Arindam Bagchi was upset by the Turk’s remarks about Kashmir.
Turk also called for stepped-up efforts to address violence and displacement in the Indian state of Manipur, based on dialogue, peacebuilding and human rights.
