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Amnesty International for immediately lifting of AFSPA from IOK

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SRINAGAR, (KNS): Observing that legal process is ‘very slow’ in Indian occupied Kashmir, Amnesty International today said there is a problem with the legal system and how it is working in the troubled state.

In an interview, Amnesty International team comprising Saptarshi Mandal and Sahana Basavapatna also reiterated call by the global human rights watchdog about the abrogation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) in the state.

“In our interactions with a cross section of people, one thing we found constantly was that the legal process where people really took up the legal process and went to courts, is very slow,” they said. In many cases, they said, lodging FIR has taken a lot of time.

“Investigations have not been completed despite cases have been filed 10 years back or much earlier,” they said, adding, “All we can say is that there is a problem with the legal system and how it is working. It certainly has taken a lot of time.”

The team is on a 12-day visit to Valley to take first hand account of the latest developments in respect of human rights situation in the state with special ‘focus’ on Public Safety Act and AFSPA.

“Our idea to come here was to build on the work that Amnesty International had already done in 2010 and then when it released the report in 2011 on ‘lawless law’. Our focus was on the PSA and the amendments to the act and the implications that it would have in the state, whether they actually make any difference or whether they were fair.”

The Amnesty team said they looked at the contentious AFSPA but refused to divulge anything further regarding it. “There are no conclusions that we can share with anybody as yet but there will certainly be an outcome. It will come in due course of time when research paper is complete.” Asked about the amnesty international’s call for abrogation of PSA and AFSPA, the members said, “We stand by what Amnesty International had said about the abrogation of PSA and AFSPA.”

Regarding their engagements in the valley during last 10 days, the amnesty members said, “We met a cross section of people, mostly families, lawyers and human rights groups. We met only IG Kashmir and we have not met anyone else in administration.”

The members refused to comment on the issue of mass graves in the state. “We have not been able to talk to lot of people on mass graves but we do have the report and are yet to go through the information. But we don’t want to comment on it.”

Investigative wing of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), in its report had said as many as 2156 bodies buried in unmarked graves at 38 sites since militancy began in 1990.


Amnesty International for immediately lifting of AFSPA from IOK
 
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