On the morning of January 6, 1993, Indian troops of the 94 Battalion of the Border Security Force (94 Bn. BSF), led by Commanding Officer S. Thangappan, shot and killed 46 people and injured dozens more. This fact finding probe into the January 6, 1993 Sopore Massacre was compiled by Institute of Kashmir studies and has been reproduced by Legal Forum for Kashmir.

Topics: Sopore massacre: brief facts, government inquiry of the Sopore massacre, public reaction and protests after the Sopore massacre, statements by international organizations, politicians and Hurriyat, Sopore massacre in the local press, Sopore massacre and human rights organizations, list of civilians killed, list of civilians injured, details of property damaged, details of houses burnt, divisional fire officer's diary, probe into Sopore incidents yet to take off

Terms: systematic killing, mass killing, mass arson, systematic destruction of property, systematic maiming, mass maiming, denial of right to free assembly, legalized impunity, failure of accountability, war crimes, crimes against humanity

This is an overview of the human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. Among other violations, the following violations were recorded: at least 312 killings (at least 181 resistance fighters, 45 civilians, and 86 Indian forces personnel), at least 199 military cordon and search or cordon and destroy operations and the vandalism or destruction of approximately 212 civilian properties.

Topics: militarization of Jammu and Kashmir, civilian killings, extrajudicial and custodial killings, destruction and vandalism of civilian properties, compensation, properties seized, continuous denial of burial and funeral rights, termination of employees, war against the academics, harassment and persecution of Kashmiris in India, how lawful is the UAPA, continuous detention of human rights defenders, freedom of speech, erosion of newspaper data, forced into self-censorship, arrest and summoning of religious clerics, Kashmir an information black hole, social media, settler colonialism, politics of Amarnath Yatra, forcing Kashmiri students to sing Hindu bhajans, illegal acquisition of land by Indian army, giving non-locals voting rights

Terms: violation of right to life, extrajudicial killing, custodial killing, destruction of property, taking of property, expropriation, violation of cultural rights, violation of freedom of religion or belief, reprisals, violation of right to work, violation of academic freedom, discrimination, targeting, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), targeting human rights defenders, violation of right to free expression, violation of right to free press and information, violation of political rights, political disempowerment, settler colonialism, forced demographic change

This report addresses the role of U.S.-based social media companies in the digital occupation of Indian-Administered Jammu and Kashmir (IAJK). The first and second portions of this report provides background information on India’s digital authoritarianism and digital occupation of IAJK and the role of social media companies in aiding and abetting human rights violations in IAJK, as well as providing context for the role these same companies play in other countries. The third part of this report analyzes the legal obligations and oversight mechanisms to which these companies are subject. The fourth and final part of this report enumerates certain action items that human rights defenders and advocates might pursue to seek accountability for these companies’ violations and protect the freedom of expression of their users.

Topics: the rise of digital authoritarianism in IAJK and abroad, social media platforms violations in IAJK that contribute to digital authoritarianism, applicable legal obligations and responsibilities of the state and social media corporations, actions items and methods for human rights defenders

Terms: digital authoritarianism, suppression of free expression, hate speech, internet shutdowns, communications blackouts, surveillance, corporate complicity in human rights violations, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Jammu and Kashmi Public Safety Act (PSA)

UN experts (Aua Baldé (Chair-Rapporteur), Gabriella Citroni (Vice-Chair), Grażyna Baranowska, Luciano Hazan, Angkhana Neelapaijit, Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances;  Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions) demand the immediate & unconditional release of Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez, saying that his arrest & detention has a chilling effect on civil society, rights activists & journalists.

On the first-year anniversary of prominent Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez’s arrest and detention, four human rights organisations (Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationFIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights DefendersWorld Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders) have submitted a complaint to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Amnesty International, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FORUM-ASIA, Front Line Defenders (FLD), Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Minority Rights Group International, Stichting The London Story and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested one year ago on November 22, 2021 on politically motivated terrorism and other charges.