India should take a principled stand against death penalty, including for rape. But beyond principle, India must also oppose the introduction of the death penalty as it will not stop the rise in rapes or result in higher conviction rates.
Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to India this month spotlighted the shared histories between the two nations and the need for a stronger alliance between them. A new reform agenda and Suu Kyi’s election to parliament offers New Delhi a chance to recalibrate its Burma policy to include greater focus on human rights, rule of law and democratic governance.
Ajmal Kasab’s execution marks an end to India’s widely hailed unofficial moratorium on capital punishment since 2004, when prime minister Manmohan Singh’s government took charge. It signifies a sad regression in India’s near-decade move away from the death penalty.
Manipuris will soon stand in line to vote for a new state government. As with voters elsewhere, during the campaign they will be promised jobs, development and new infrastructure. The one promise on which successive governments have failed to deliver, however, is one of bringing justice to the people of the state.
If Syria refuses to heed the international community, India, together with Brazil and South Africa, should escalate pressure on the recalcitrant government. Concerns about Libya should not come in the way of protecting the rights of the Syrian people. President Bashar al-Assad needs to hear loud and clear that even his friends will not tolerate any contempt for a united call for Syria to change its course.
There have been protests in Syria since March and after 41 years of repressive one-party rule, things seem to be coming to a pass. The movement for democracy has been sparked partly by the developments in Tunisia and Egypt and now, in Libya. Unfortunately the government of Bashar al-Assad has chosen to respond with force, security forces killing nearly 2,000 already, arresting thousands and torturing many in custody.
As soon as India assumed the rotating presidency at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) this month, the government had the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to human rights.
In May, the ministry of information and broadcasting banned some television commercials for men's deodorants claiming it wanted to curb ads "aimed at tickling the libidinous male instincts" and portraying women "as lustily hankering after men under the influence of such deodorants".
Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to India this month spotlighted the shared histories between the two nations and the need for a stronger alliance between them. A new reform agenda and Suu Kyi’s election to parliament offers New Delhi a chance to recalibrate its Burma policy to include greater focus on human rights, rule of law and democratic governance.
Ajmal Kasab’s execution marks an end to India’s widely hailed unofficial moratorium on capital punishment since 2004, when prime minister Manmohan Singh’s government took charge. It signifies a sad regression in India’s near-decade move away from the death penalty.
Punitive measures against girls forced into child marriages should not find a place in government policies, programmes and practices.