Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three US Congresspersons and a USCIRF commissioner have urged President Joe Biden to prioritise human rights in US foreign policy toward India.
Representatives Jim McGovern, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib thus joined human rights experts and leaders of Indian-American advocacy groups in organising a policy briefing on Thursday to shed light on the human rights abuses in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime.
“Dissidents, journalists, and their families are targeted with violence and political persecution,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, who hosted the briefing at the Capitol. “Even advocates outside of India fear that their family members will be targeted if they speak out,” she said.
“We are told we must now turn a blind eye to the repression because of foreign policy concerns, even though human rights are supposed to be at the centre of our foreign policy,” she added. “But Prime Minister Modi is not even a reliable geopolitical ally.”
Rep. Jim McGovern, the co-chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said: “It’s because we value our friendship with the Indian people that we have to speak the truth about human rights abuses in India.”
He said, “We hear regularly from representatives of ethnic and religious minorities in India who believe deeply in India’s secular Constitution, but fear that their rights are being systematically undermined.”
McGovern said he was not only talking about the Muslim population but also about Sikhs, Christians and Dalits. “We call on the Indian authorities to take steps to reverse these well-documented and unfortunate trends and restore the full promise of the Indian Constitution.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib said the first person to bring this discussion to her was actually a Hindu. “It was an incredible, incredible discussion… We wish that people could see all of us coming together in this way. You all are continuing to do that by being here,” she said.
Stephen F. Schneck, Commissioner at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) detailed the ongoing egregious violations of human rights and religious freedoms. He reiterated the commission’s recommendation to designate India as a Country of Particular concern (CPC).
Ajit Sahi, Advocacy Director of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), also spoke at the event.
“I am a Hindu myself, and I can tell you one of the biggest changes that I see now is that the poison of hatred among the Hindus has gone very deep,” he said.
He added that if America was serious about its national security objectives and its geopolitics, then President Biden has to take a stand and understand that he was jeopardising peace and jeopardising stability by supporting Prime Minister Modi.”
Other panelists included Sarah Yager, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch; Nadine Farid Johnson, Washington Director of PEN America; and Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights.
