,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gde ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #f1 #bjai,ms4 ,jayapal 7for herself and ,mr4 ,watkins7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,urging the ,republic of ,india to end the restrictions on communications and mass detentions in ,jammu and ,kashmir as swiftly as possible and preserve religious freedom for all residents4 ,whereas ,india is the world's largest democracy and has long shared a unique and important relationship with the ,united ,states in promoting common values and upholding regional stability2 ,whereas ,india is the birthplace of #d major world religions1 including ,hinduism1 ,sikhism1 ,buddhism1 and ,jainism1 is home to the world's third-largest ,muslim population1 and has a proud ,christian population1 with three of ,india's #bi states remaining majority ,christian2 ,whereas ,india's ,constitution mandates a secular state that upholds the rights of all citizens to the freedoms of religion1 expression1 and speech and to equal treatment before the law2 ,whereas international human rights law holds that all people have the right to freedom of opinion and expression1 including freedom to practice1 worship1 or observe one's own religion2 ,whereas1 since #aihi1 ,jammu and ,kashmir has been the site of a #cj-year conflict between the ,indian government1 local ,kashmiris1 and militants1 that has claimed tens of thousands of lives1 exacerbated by disenfranchisement of the local population and external state support for the insurgency2 ,whereas1 on ,february #ad1 #bjai1 an ,indian national and member of a ,pakistan-based1 ,united ,states-designated foreign terrorist organization conducted the deadliest terrorist attack against ,indian forces since #aihi1 killing #dj security personnel2 ,whereas1 on ,august #e1 #bjai1 the ,government of ,india cut all telephone service and internet access in ,jammu and ,kashmir1 the #ecrd time the ,indian government restricted communication in ,kashmir in #bjai2 ,whereas the ,government of ,india has stated that communications restrictions are required to stop terrorists from communicating with one another2 ,whereas the ,government of ,india announced it had restored landline phone service to ,jammu and ,kashmir on ,september #e1 #bjai1 and partially restored cellphone service on ,october #ad1 #bjai2 ,whereas #fj percent of the #f1jjj1jjj mobile subscribers in ,jammu and ,kashmir rely on prepaid cellphones1 which remain inoperable for communication1 and text messaging and mobile internet services remain suspended2 ,whereas people across the ,united ,states maintain ties with family and friends in ,jammu and ,kashmir and have reported difficulty contacting their loved ones since the communications blockade was imposed on ,august #e1 #bjai2 ,whereas press accounts and human rights observers have documented that the communications restrictions derailed health services in ,jammu and ,kashmir1 with patients reporting difficulty calling ambulances and hospitals1 and physicians reporting difficulty accessing critical medicines for advanced stages of disease2 ,whereas the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 ,reporters ,without ,borders1 ,reporters ,committee for ,freedom of the ,press1 and independent reporters have documented detentions and harassment of journalists in ,jammu and ,kashmir2 ,whereas the ,government of ,india has barred senior ,united ,states ,government officials and foreign journalists from traveling to ,jammu and ,kashmir since ,august #e1 #bjai2 ,whereas international human rights observers have documented the police's use of excessive force against detained people and excessive and indiscriminate use of pellet shotguns1 tear gas1 and rubber bullets against protesters2 ,whereas data from the ,government of ,india found that more than #c1hjj people in ,jammu and ,kashmir were arrested between ,august #e and ,september #f1 #bjai1 #b1fjj had been released from detention1 and prominent political and business leaders remain in detention2 ,whereas the ,jammu and ,kashmir police have acknowledged that #add children1 as young as #i years old1 have been arrested2 ,whereas ,indian authorities have used the ,public ,safety ,act to preventatively detain people for a broad range of activities that are vaguely defined and without charge for up to #b years in some cases1 including human rights defenders1 journalists1 political leaders1 and people involved in protests2 ,whereas ,india's ,public ,safety ,act violates article #i7b7 of the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights by allowing authorities to not communicate grounds of detention for up to #aj days of detention1 and also to withhold any information considered to be against the public interest to disclose2 ,whereas photographic evidence indicates that detained people have been required to sign surety bonds forbidding them from making statements or participating in political activities as a condition of their release2 and ,whereas the ,department of ,state reports that the security situation in ,jammu and ,kashmir remains dire1 with insurgents and terrorists threatening the lives of civilians1 armed forces1 police1 and government officials3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes the dire security challenges faced by the ,government and ,india in ,jammu and ,kashmir and the continuing threat of state-supported cross-border terrorism2 7#b7 rejects arbitrary detention1 use of excessive force against civilians1 and suppression of peaceful expression of dissent as proportional responses to security challenges2 7#c7 urges the ,government of ,india to ensure that any actions taken in pursuit of legitimate security priorities respect the human rights of all people and adhere to international human rights law2 and 7#d7 urges the ,government of ,india to-- 7,a7 lift the remaining restrictions on communication and to restore internet access across all of ,jammu and ,kashmir as swiftly as possible2 7,b7 refrain from the use of threats and excessive force against detained people and peaceful protesters2 7,c7 swiftly release arbitrarily detained people in ,jammu and ,kashmir2 7,d7 refrain from conditioning the release of detained people on their willingness to sign bonds prohibiting any political activities and speeches2 7,e7 allow international human rights observers and journalists to access ,jammu and ,kashmir and operate freely throughout ,india1 without threats2 and 7,f7 condemn1 at the highest levels1 all religiously motivated violence1 including that violence which targets against religious minorities4