Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Affirming the principles of fundamental human rights and equality for people of Kashmir and encouraging Congress to call for the Indian government to conduct an independent and thorough investigation of all human rights violations in Kashmir.
Body
WHEREAS, on August 5, 2019, the Government of India suspended Article 370 of its Constitution, thereby revoking the long-protected, semi-autonomous status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir without consulting Kashmiri political or civil society leaders; and,
WHEREAS, this anti-democratic action was preceded by a surge of roughly 35,000 Indian forces into the already heavily militarized region of Jammu and Kashmir and the imposition of a total communications blackout across the region, including cellular networks and internet connectivity; and,
WHEREAS, roughly 7 million Kashmiris were cut off from such services for nearly six months and where, finally, partial access to the internet has been restored. All this has had a severe impact on the ability of the media to investigate conditions on the ground. The few reports that have emerged have been uniformly disturbing, including: mass detentions of thousands of citizens, elected officials, doctors, lawyers and civil society leaders. And there have been accounts of the use of lethal force against civilians, dwindling supplies of life-saving medical treatments and the inability of patients to access hospitals, along with the curtailment of religious freedoms; and,
WHEREAS, children have borne the brunt of these actions, with reports of families unable to secure baby food and formula for infants, students prevented from attending school, and Kashmiris as young as 12 facing serious injuries from Indian forces and indefinite detentions without any charges; and,
WHEREAS, Kashmiris remain largely cut off from each other and the outside world while their families around the world, including Kashmiri-Americans in Madison...
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