News
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Amnesty International wraps up visit to Held Kashmir
SRINAGAR: Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Monday concluded its first visit to strife-torn Kashmir since an armed insurgency against Indian rule engulfed the region more than 20 years ago. “The visit was aimed at securing a better understanding of the current human rights situation,” the two-member Amnesty team said in a brief statement at the end of its weeklong visit. The team said it held discussions with senior state government officials, separatist leaders and a host of non-government organisations (NGOs) including local rights groups. It also “conducted research” into cases of preventive detention, but a request to visit detainees in the main jail of Srinagar was denied. Allowing the visit was seen as a concession by the Indian government, which has been accused of a range of human rights violations in Kashmir over the past two decades, including allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and extra-judicial executions. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk