U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Chilean Michelle Bachelet addresses her statement during the opening of 39th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

New UN rights chief slams India for inaction on rights violations report in Kashmir

By Kashmir Age Online Last updated Sep 10, 2018

Srinagar: In her first address to the United Nations Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday praised the Supreme Court for decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults but slammed India for lack of any “meaningful improvement” on addressing issues highlighted in the UN report on human rights violations in Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.

The former Chilean president succeeded Zeid Raad al Hussain as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights this month.

In her opening remarks at the 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Bachelet said the people of Kashmir had the same rights to justice and dignity as people all over the world. “The people of Kashmir have exactly the same rights to justice and dignity as people all over the world and we urge authorities to respect them,” the report quoted her as saying.

Bachelet also reiterated the UNHRC’s request for unconditional access to Kashmir on either side of the Line of Control. “The Office of the HRC continues to request permission to visit both sides of the LoC, and in the meantime, will continue its monitoring and reporting,” she said.

In his report to the UN Human Rights Council in June, Bachelet’s predecessor Zeid Hussain had sought an “establishment of a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir” and asked the governments of India and Pakistan to “fully respect the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir as protected under international law”.