David Cicilline Kashmir

Thank Senators Van Hollen, Young, Durbin, and Graham for speaking up about Kashmir

    On February 12th, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Todd Young (R-IN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding their concerns on Kashmir, specifically mentioning the the communications blockade as well as the general lockdown and curfew in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. They ended their letter with a request for the assessment of a number of important issues:

    (1)    the number of individuals detained by the Indian Government for political purposes due to India’s revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution with respect to Jammu and Kashmir, including an assessment, to the extent practicable, of whether detainees endure torture or other forms of mistreatment;

    (2)    the Government of India’s restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir, including access to the internet and cellular telephone services;

    (3)    the level of access to Jammu and Kashmir the Indian government grants to independent observers, foreign diplomats and consular agents, foreign journalists, international organizations, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations;

    (4)    restrictions on religious freedom in Jammu and Kashmir; and,

    (5)    the number of individuals – including the number of religious, ethnic and other minorities — at risk of statelessness, arbitrary deprivation or denial of nationality, expulsion or arbitrary detention pursuant to the Government of India’s latest National Register of Citizens list, and any excessive use of force by Indian authorities against demonstrators opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

    You can find the full letter here.

    Call and email these Senators today to thank them for bringing attention to this issue, and speaking out regarding Kashmir

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