Experts from the UN urge India to stop attacking minorities
In a joint statement released on Thursday, over 20 UN experts urged India to “end attacks against minorities” ahead of the country’s anticipated April election.
“We are alarmed by continuing reports of attacks on religious, racial and ethnic minorities, on women and girls… and on civil society, including human rights defenders and the media,” they stated.
They said that things would probably become worse as the 1.4 billion-person nation with the largest population in the world approached the polls.
The experts covered a wide variety of topics; they include UN working group members and special rapporteurs.
These included targeted and arbitrary executions, encouragement to discrimination and violence against minorities, violence and hate crimes against them, and the improper use of government institutions against alleged political rivals.
“We call on India to implement its human rights obligations fully… by reversing the erosion of human rights and addressing recurring concerns raised by UN human rights mechanisms,” the experts stated.
They said that there haven’t been any UN specialists visiting a nation since 2017 and that there are still 15 unmet requests.
“In light of continuing reports of violence and attacks against religious, racial and ethnic minorities, and other grave human rights issues… we are compelled to express our grave concern, especially given the need for a conducive atmosphere for free and fair elections,” they stated.
The special rapporteurs on minority affairs, human rights defenders, violence against women, modern racism, freedom of religion, speech, and peaceful assembly, as well as degrading treatment, were among the signatories.
The UN Human Rights Council has designated UN experts, but they are autonomous entities and do not represent the UN.
The 200 million-strong Muslim minority in India has seen many violent outbursts from the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014.
Critics claim that the Indian government targets political opponents through the legal system, as seen by the ongoing criminal investigations against a number of opposition leaders.
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