JUSTICE FOR ALL CONDEMNS U.S. AMBASSADOR’S REMARKS, DEMANDS UPHOLDING OF UN PLEBISCITE IN KASHMIR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 28, 2026)

Justice For All, a global human rights organization through its Kashmir Action campaign, strongly condemns the recent remarks by U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor. Characterizing the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” directly contradicts the region’s internationally recognized status and undermines the fundamental right of its people to self-determination as enshrined in multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Ambassador Gor’s statement in Srinagar is a sharp departure from the long-standing diplomatic position held by the United States under both Republican and Democratic administrations. The U.N. Security Council has adopted at least 17 resolutions and memorandums on the Kashmir dispute since 1948, including Resolution 47, which established the right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite.. By ignoring these obligations, the Ambassador has effectively negated U.S. neutrality and dismissed the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed grave concern over the situation in the region, calling for political dialogue to address underlying grievances. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Fernand de Varennes, has documented dramatic human rights violations by India, including arbitrary arrests, political persecution and suppression of free media. In November 2025, eight U.N. Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups issued a landmark report documenting widespread repression in Kashmir and urging a peaceful resolution reflecting the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, a call that remains unheeded.

“Ambassador Gor’s assertion is not only a diplomatic provocation but an attempt to erase the legal reality of the Kashmir dispute,” said Imam Abdel Malik, President of Justice For All. “The United States cannot cherry-pick international law. The U.N.-mandated plebiscite, a longstanding commitment of the United States, is the only legitimate path to a just and lasting resolution.”

“The U.S. must stop rewarding India the occupying power and hold it accountable,” stated Hena Zuberi, DC Director of Advocacy for Justice For All. “We call on the State Department to disavow Ambassador Gor’s statement and reaffirm its commitment to U.N. resolutions on Kashmir. The mass detention of political leaders, silencing of dissent, land confiscation and attempts at demographic engineering through the systematic alteration of the region’s demographic composition are violations of international law that the U.S. is obliged to address.”

Justice For All urges the international community to reject this new narrative and uphold the U.N. Charter, insisting on the immediate release of all political prisoners by India and an end to the occupation, paving the way for a free and fair plebiscite throughout all of Kashmir.

Contact: Hena Zuberi, Director of Advocacy

Email: hena@justiceforall.org.  Phone: 202-908-JUST

Website: https://www.justiceforall.org/free-kashmir/

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