London-based law firm seeks arrest of Indian Army Chief, HM over IIOJK war crimes
World
The law firm's investigation suggested that abuses have worsened during coronavirus pandemic.
LONDON (Dunya News) - A London-based law firm has filed an application with the British police seeking the arrest of India’s army chief and home minister over their roles in war crimes in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The law firm Stoke White has said that it submitted extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian troops headed by General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah were responsible for the torture, kidnapping and killing of activists, journalists and civilians.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the law firm’s report was based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021. It also accused eight unnamed senior Indian military officials of direct involvement in war crimes and torture in Kashmir.
“There is strong reason to believe that Indian authorities are conducting war crimes and other violence against civilians in Jammu and Kashmir,” the report stated.
The request to London police was made under the principle of “universal jurisdiction,” which gives countries the authority to prosecute individuals accused of crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world.
The international law firm in London said it believes its application is the first time that legal action has been taken abroad against Indian authorities over war crimes in Kashmir.
It merits mention that Kashmiris and international rights groups have long accused Indian troops of carrying out systematic human rights abuses and arrest those who oppose India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2018, the UN human rights chief called for an independent international investigation into reports of rights violations in Kashmir.
The law firm’s investigation suggested that the abuses have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.
