Amnesty Switzerland Wants Kashmir Discussion During Indian President’s Visit

The Swiss branch of Amnesty International denounced what it referred to as “the deteriorating human rights situation” including the “targeting of the Indian government’s political opponents in Jammu and Kashmir”. The group wants the issue to feature on the agenda during the state visit of the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to Switzerland scheduled from September 12-15.

The removal on August 5 of the special autonomy accorded to Jammu and Kashmir in 1949 – after it acceded to India in 1947 – led to protests and a government clampdown on free movement and communication facilities. “The opposition is being decimated by arbitrary arrests and detentions. The valley is cut off from the world by a communications blackout and severe traffic restrictions imposed by the authorities,” said Alain Bovard, a lawyer at the Swiss chapter of Amnesty