Political repression in the Kashmir Region
| Political repression in Kashmir | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kashmir independence protest in London, August 2019 (illustrative image, CC BY 2.0) | |||
| Date | 1989 – present (main phases: 1989–2019; intensified since 5 August 2019) | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, demand for self‑determination, allegations of anti‑national activities | ||
| Status | Ongoing | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
Various militant commanders | |||
Since the 1947 partition of India, political repression in the Kashmir region has been a persistent international concern. The Indian government has been accused of widespread human rights violations in the region, including extrajudicial executions, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and systematic restrictions on fundamental freedoms.[1]
Background
On 5 August 2019, the Indian government announced the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which had granted special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.[2]
Forms of repression
Arbitrary detention
According to a United Nations report released in November 2025, nearly 2,800 people have been arbitrarily arrested and held for extended periods in recent months, including journalists, students, and rights activists. The same report documented the use of punitive house demolitions and enforced disappearances by Indian authorities.[3]
Communications blackouts
During the revocation of Article 370, India imposed a complete internet shutdown lasting nearly six months, the longest such outage in any democracy. When authorities finally restored low-speed 2G mobile internet, access was limited to only 300 “whitelisted” websites. Social media and VPN applications remained banned.[4]
Extrajudicial killings
In its 2019 oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council, a coalition of international human rights organisations (including Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and the World Organisation Against Torture) stated that government forces in Indian‑administered Kashmir had been responsible for “unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and rape and other sexual violence”.[1]
International reactions
United Nations Human Rights Council
The 2019 joint oral statement called on the Governments of India and Pakistan to grant unconditional access to UN human rights mechanisms and to human rights organisations, and urged the council to establish a commission of inquiry into the situation in Kashmir.[5]
Amnesty International
In a 2024 report, Amnesty International called on India to end the repression of dissent in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that after the region's first assembly elections in a decade, India must “go beyond elections and ensure the rights of all people are protected”.[6]
According to the November 2025 United Nations report, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances continue in the Kashmir Valley, with human rights defenders and journalists facing increasing threats.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 "HRC41: Joint Oral Statement on Extra-judicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Kashmir". FIDH / FORUM-ASIA / Human Rights Watch / International Commission of Jurists / OMCT. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
In Indian Administered Kashmir, government forces have been responsible for serious violations, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and rape and other sexual violence.
- ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (31 October 2019). "India strips Kashmir of special status and divides it in two". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
Delhi has formally revoked the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional autonomy and split it into two federal territories... At midnight on Wednesday the state was formally taken under direct federal control and split into the territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. A swift annexation of Kashmir followed in August, with tens of thousands of Indian troops deployed into the region, phones and internet shut down, and politicians and public figures placed under arrest.
- ↑ "UN experts alarmed by Indian counter‑terrorism operations violating human rights in Jammu and Kashmir". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ "Limited internet restored in Kashmir, no access to social media". Al Jazeera English. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
Nearly six-month long shutdown, longest in a democracy, ends with India allowing 2G access to 300 'whitelisted' sites. ... The order said internet access will remain limited to "only whitelisted sites" and social media applications ... will remain banned.
- ↑ "HRC41: Human rights violations in Kashmir". International Commission of Jurists. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
We look forward to the publication of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' second-ever report on the grave human rights violations and abuses committed in Kashmir. In Indian Administered Kashmir, government forces have been responsible for serious violations, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and rape and other sexual violence. These grave violations by security forces in Kashmir are met with chronic impunity, as alleged perpetrators are rarely properly prosecuted for human rights violations, leading to near-total immunity for the crimes committed.
- ↑ "India: Authorities must end repression of dissent in Jammu and Kashmir" (PDF) (Press release). Amnesty International. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
The Indian authorities must end their campaign of harassment and intimidation against dissenting voices. The people of Jammu and Kashmir must be able to exercise their right to fully participate in the decision‑making about their future in the run up to, during and after elections.
- ↑ "UN experts alarmed by Indian counter‑terrorism operations violating human rights in Jammu and Kashmir". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
After the attack, Indian authorities launched sweeping operations across Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders. We condemn reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions, suspicious deaths in custody, torture and other ill‑treatment, lynchings, and discriminatory treatment of Kashmiri and Muslim communities. The experts urged the immediate unconditional release of all individuals arbitrarily detained in Jammu and Kashmir.