Kashmir: India’s ‘draconian’ blackout sets worrying precedent, warns UN

The unprecedented communications blackout imposed on Indian-administered Kashmir could signal a departure in the way in which democratic states clamp down on information in contentious areas, the UN’s special rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye, has said.

India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, made his first public statement on Thursday since the decision to remove Kashmir’s special status, describing it as the start of a “new era” that will help end decades of terrorism and separatism.

Kaye told the Guardian: “There’s something about this shutdown that is draconian in a way other shutdowns usually are not.”