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Amnesty urges Pakistan-administered Kashmir to free activists and end crackdown
Amnesty International has urged Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s new government to release hundreds of activists and others detained under anti-terrorism laws after protests over the cost of living. It says banning the grassroots Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and restricting demonstrations violate rights to association, expression and peaceful assembly.
JAAC, founded in 2023, includes traders, lawyers, students, civil society activists and local political figures campaigning over electricity bills, flour prices, taxes and public services. Protests turned violent earlier this year, followed by a crackdown in which activists, protesters and journalists were arrested or placed on watchlists over alleged links to JAAC or coverage of demonstrations. Prime Minister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani took office in August amid months of unrest, and UN experts and rights groups have also raised concerns about curbs on civil liberties.
In short
- Amnesty calls for detained activists to be released.
- It says the JAAC ban infringes civil liberties.
- Crackdown followed protests over living costs and services.
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The case for
The government should release people detained without sufficient evidence and lift restrictions on peaceful protest and association, since broad anti-terrorism powers can suppress legitimate dissent as well as address genuine threats. JAAC’s campaign concerns basic costs and public services, and accountability for any violence should not prevent activists, journalists and residents from expressing grievances lawfully.
The case against
The government has a responsibility to protect residents and public services when protests turn violent, and may argue that arrests and restrictions are needed to investigate violence or prevent further harm. It could also maintain that limits on JAAC or demonstrations are justified if based on credible evidence of unlawful activity and applied narrowly, while recognising that such measures should be subject to due process and review.
Explained simply
Pakistan-administered Kashmir is a region governed by Pakistan, with its own local government and political institutions. Many residents have protested over the cost of living, including electricity bills and flour prices, as well as taxes and the quality of public services.
The Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, was formed in 2023 and brings together people from groups including traders, lawyers, students and civil society. Its campaigns have drawn large demonstrations; some protests turned violent, and authorities later detained activists, protesters and journalists under anti-terrorism laws.
The dispute concerns both economic demands and the right to organise, speak out and demonstrate peacefully. Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s government, led by Prime Minister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani since August, faces calls to address those demands while upholding civil liberties.
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