Indian govt committing war crimes by moving Kashmiri prisoners to Indian jails: Shireen Mazari

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari called out the Indian government for committing war crimes by moving prisoners from occupied Kashmir to India and also violating the Geneva Convention through ill-treatment of women prisoners.

The federal minister made the statement during a press briefing alongside Asiya Andrabi's son and nephew in Islamabad on Monday. It may be noted here that the Foreign Office said in a recent statement that Asiya Andrabi may be convicted on January 18.

She said the Narendra Modi government has violated Article 76 and 83 of the Geneva Convention. 

“Article 76 says that women shall be confined in separate quarters and shall be under the direct supervision of women… and the detainees have the right to be visited by the Red Cross but Indian authorities don’t even provide doctors,” said Mazari. “Andrabi and two other women with her are unwell but the Indian government is denying her medical assistance.”

Mazari said that sentencing Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment until death would be nothing short of judicial murder.

Mazari said the Indian government is committing war crimes by moving Kashmiri prisoners to and from Indian jails. 

She was referring to Article 8 (war crimes) of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court which states that the “transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory”.

The human rights minister asserted that the Indian government was violating international laws and called upon international community and local and international human rights organisations to condemn the actions.

The minister said Pakistan should demand an international tribunal to proceed against India regarding war crimes. “In 2005, all countries at the United Nations accepted the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in principle. There are laws present. So the question is: why is the world silent? Is it our failure that we are unable to make a strong case or are countries avoiding taking on India due to economic interests?”