Photo : Source The Guardian Rohingya Muslims along with their luggage outside a mosque in Jammu, in Kashmir, India, on 7 March. On Saturday, hundreds of Rohingya including women and children were summoned by police as a part of a verification” exercise. Photograph: Jaipal Singh EPA
| View PDFNew Delhi: 18 July, 2023
Letter, No A003_/2023
PRESS RELEASE
Rohingya Human Rights Initiative Condemns the Violence
and Arbitrary Detentions of Rohingya Refugees in Jammu
The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya) is deeply alarmed by this morning's gun shootings and tear gas attacks on Rohingya refugees in Jammu, India. The recent escalation of violence perpetrated by Indian authorities on refugees unlawfully detained two years back. The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative strongly condemns these actions and calls for an immediate end to the human rights abuses and arbitary detention.
According to verified sources, more than 269 Rohingya refugees, including women, children, elderly, disabled persons, and pregnant women, have been unlawfully detained without any charges or FIRs in Jammu. These refugees possess identity cards duly verified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), further underscoring their status as vulnerable individuals deserving protection and assistance.
According to our sources, the timeline of events surrounding the arbitrary detentions and deteriorating human rights situation for Rohingya refugees in Jammu, India is as follows:
6 March 2021: The Jammu and Kashmir police unlawfully detained over 168 Rohingya refugees under the pretense of biometric verification at Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.
2021-2022: Across the years, authorities unlawfully jailed more people without any grounds to detention. In this time, 3 refugees died and 2 (Hasina Begum and Jafar Alam) were deported. Refugees approached UNHCR but did not recieve any aid or advocacy.
Late April 2023: The refugees began protesting their conditions through a hunger strike. Their demands were to be freed from the detention centre to live in Jammu, or to be allowed to leave India to meet their family members settled in other countries, or if nothing worked, then to be deported to Myanmar.
17 July 2023: After 2 years of being detained illegally, being forcibly cut from their families, and reciving no answer to their demands, the refugees attempted to jail-break to free themselves. Around 6-7:00 AM, the police began firing at the open crowd and throwing tear gas at the refugees. Several refugees are injured, more details are yet to be acquired.
The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya)unequivocally denounces the violation of human rights and the use of excessive force against vulnerable individuals who have sought refuge in India from similar violence back at their homes. These actions are not only a breach of international humanitarian and human rights law but also undermine the UDHR Article 14 states that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”, which India is a signatory to.
The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya) urges the Government of India to take immediate and decisive steps to halt the violence, ensure the release of all arbitrarily detained Rohingya refugees, and initiate a transparent and impartial investigation into these grave human rights violations. It is essential that those responsible for these atrocities be held accountable and that the victims receive the necessary protection, support, and access to justice.
Furthermore, the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya) calls upon the international community to mobilise assistance and support for the Rohingya refugees in India and other affected regions. Peaceful coexistance and assistance are essential to address the root causes of displacement, protect the rights of refugees, and work towards durable solutions that uphold human dignity and promote peaceful coexistence.
ENDS
For further information, please contact: info@rohringya.org/ Signal/WhatsApp) +919971599290