ONLINE
\nGeneva
\nThe United Nations human rights experts expressing concern over the ban imposed by India on internet and social media in occupied Kashmir have called upon the Indian Government to protect the right to freedom of expression.
\nAccording to KMS, in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression and Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders stressed that the scope of the restrictions in occupied Kashmir also undermined the government\u2019s stated aim of preventing dissemination of
\ninformation that could lead to violence..
\n\u201cThe internet and telecommunications bans have the character of collective punishment [and] fail to meet the standards required under international human rights law to limit freedom of expression,\u201d said David Kaye in the news release.
\n\u201cDenying such access disrupts the free exchange of ideas and the ability of individuals to connect with one another and associate peacefully on matters of shared concern,\u201d said Michel Forst.
\n\u201cThe ban was imposed on Internet in occupied Kashmir on April 17 following widespread student demonstrations. According to information from the media and individuals in Kashmir, the government blocked access to 22 websites and applications, including the messaging service WhatsApp, and social media Facebook and Twitter,\u201d noted the news release.
\nThe news release also noted that since 2012, there have been an estimated 31 reported cases of social media and internet bans in the occupied territory and such developments seemed to be a worrying pattern aimed at curbing protests and social uprising in the territory.
\n\u201cWe call on the Indian authorities to guarantee freedom of expression in Jammu and Kashmir and to seek a solution for the social and political conflicts of the region through an open, transparent and democratic dialogue,\u201d the experts said.
\nFurther in the release, the human rights experts also recalled the concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Council – the central inter-governmental body within the UN system responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe – over online disruptions and the call upon UN Member States to avoid such shutdowns.
\nIt is to mention here that Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honourary and the experts are not UN staff nor are they paid for their work<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ONLINE Geneva The United Nations human rights experts expressing concern over the ban imposed by India on internet and social media in occupied Kashmir have called upon the Indian Government to protect the right to freedom of expression. According to KMS, in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n