NEW YORK, NY — A group called “Americans for Kashmir” that claims to include Kashmiris in the diaspora, South Asian allies, faith leaders and solidarity groups, said that it will gather outside the United Nations headquarters on Friday, September 27, 2019, to protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing blockade and human rights violations in Kashmir.
PM Modi is expected to speak at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly that day.
The organizers, who said that they are “represented by a broad-based coalition of groups” under the banner of “Friends of Kashmir,” expect more than ten thousand people at the protest against the Indian government’s decision on August 5 to “strip Kashmir of its autonomous status.”
“In a brazen move to ethnically cleanse the region, over seven million people in Kashmir have been under siege. The Indian government has imposed a communications blackout in the region, disconnecting telephone and internet services, shutting down local media, restricting the movement of residents, arresting and detaining at least 3,000 people, some as young as 11 years old, and militarizing entire neighborhoods,” Americans for Kashmir said in a statement.
WHO: Americans for Kashmir, Stand with Kashmir, and Friends of Kashmir, a broad-based coalition of Kashmiri, South Asian, faith-based, and solidarity groups
WHAT: Protest against Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist government as well as demand to end the occupation of Kashmir and for the right to Kashmiri self-determination.
WHEN: Friday, September 27th, 10 AM – 2 PM EDT
WHERE: Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
East 47th Street between UN Plaza & 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10017
“Protesters will reiterate Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as promised by UN Resolution 47 and call for an end to the Indian occupation, the immediate restoration of communication, an end to human rights violations, and the complete demilitarization of the region,” the statement said. “A growing number of American politicians, including Bernie Sanders, Beto O’ Rourke, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Andy Levin, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep Don Beyer also issued statements expressing concern about the situation in Kashmir.”
