The statement, also endorsed by Front Line Defenders, the World Organisation Against Torture and Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called for the immediate release of all rights activists and journalists
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have called for the European Union (EU) to press the Indian government to end serious human rights abuses in the country.
In a joint statement ahead of the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting on Tuesday, they called on the EU to “ensure public oversight and accountability” for their India policy. The statement included a series of priority recommendations for the EU to urge the Indian government to address human rights violations.
The statement, also endorsed by Front Line Defenders, the World Organisation Against Torture and Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called for the immediate release of “all arbitrarily detained human rights defenders and journalists” and repealing or amending “repressive laws used to target minorities” and “silence dissent.” It also addressed the Indian government’s abuse of foreign funding laws to target nongovernmental organisations.
The statement petitioned the EU to press the Indian government to publicly condemn and prosecute those responsible for attacks on religious minorities and take decisive action in deterring state governments from carrying out the “arbitrary and collective punishment of minority communities.” It also advocated for granting access to be granted to “all United Nations independent experts and international human rights monitoring mechanisms, including in Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur.”
The statement addressed the discrimination minority communities in India have faced under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Criticising laws the government has enacted, the organisations denounced the violence minority groups have been subject to through systematically discriminatory policies. Of particular concern were the exclusion of Muslim asylum seekers through the Citizenship Amendment Act and a lack of due process, which has allowed BJP state governments to discriminate against Muslims.
Condemning statements made by BJP leaders as “inciting hostility and violence against marginalised groups,” the joint statement noted such speeches “have normalised abuses against Muslims, Christians and others.”
Pointing to the expansion of police powers granted through the new Code of Criminal Procedure and the amendments to the Information Technology Rules, the statement expresses concerns that such laws are “being used to infringe upon the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and fair trial,” and additionally “seriously undermine media freedoms, rights to privacy and freedom of expression online.” It noted the disproportionate effect restrictive internet policies have on impoverished communities relying on the government’s social protection measures.
The statement noted that the northeast Indian state of Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community, who are mostly Hindu, and the Kuki tribal groups, who are mostly Christian, since May 2023. More than 200 people have been killed, over 60,000 displaced, and hundreds of homes and churches destroyed. Indian authorities have failed to end the violence, while the Manipur state government continues to protect violent groups such as Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Lippun that support the dominant Meitei community.
The Indian government also faces increasing allegations of transnational repression – committing serious abuse beyond its borders. Several governments have accused Indian intelligence agencies of targeting terrorism suspects and separatist leaders for assassination in Canada, the United States and Pakistan. India has also targeted its critics in the diaspora by cancelling visas of overseas Indians and barring them from entering the country, the statement said.
