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European Leaders Should Raise Human Rights Concerns with Modi

Speaking in New Delhi on April 25, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred to India as a “vibrant democracy,” sharing common values and interests with the European Union. But these cliches, repeated by rote by European leaders…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
News

India: Media Freedom Under Threat

Authorities Should Stop Targeting, Prosecuting Journalists and Online Critics

(New York) – Indian authorities are increasingly targeting journalists and online critics for their criticism of government policies and practices, including by prosecuting them under counterterrorism and sedition laws, ten human rights organizations…
प्रेस क्लब ऑफ इंडिया के बाहर मीडिया पर सरकारी तंत्र के बढ़ते प्रतिबंधों का विरोध करते पत्रकार, नई दिल्ली, भारत, 18 फरवरी, 2021
News

Kashmiri Journalist Detained Under Draconian Indian Law

Public Safety Act Denies Basic Rights to Liberty, Due Process

A magistrate in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region approved the detention of the respected Kashmiri journalist and editor Fahad Shah under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) on the grounds that he had been “misguiding common masses by…
Fahad Shah, right, editor-in-chief of the Kashmir-based news website, The Kashmir Walla, in his office in Srinagar, India, January 21, 2022.
News

India: Dangerous Backsliding on Rights

Activists, Critics Targeted; Growing Attacks on Muslims, Groups at Risk

(New York) – Indian authorities intensified their crackdown on activists, journalists, and other critics of the government using politically motivated prosecutions in 2021, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2022. Tens of thousands of…
Women farmers attend a gathering to mark the first anniversary of their protests against controversial farm reforms at Haryana's Bahadurgarh, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, November 26, 2021.
News

India: Gunmen Target Minorities in Jammu and Kashmir

Protect Hindus, Sikhs in Muslim-Majority Region

(New York) – Indian authorities should take urgent steps to protect minority communities that are being targeted by armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s failure to address serious allegations of human…
Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard next to teachers at a government school where suspected militants fatally shot two teachers on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, October 7, 2021.
News

Testimony of John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

United States Congressional Briefing “Religious Freedom in India,” September 22, 2021

Thank you for inviting me to testify today. Among India’s most pressing human rights concerns today is the worsening situation with respect to religious freedom. The facts are clear: attacks against religious minorities in India, especially Muslims…
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News

India: Government Raids Targeting Critics

Stop Harassment of Activists, Journalists, Peaceful Protesters

(New York) – Indian authorities are using politically motivated allegations of tax evasion and financial irregularities to silence human rights activists, journalists, and other critics of the government. In September 2021, government financial…
Policemen at the entrance of Press Enclave, which houses several newspaper offices, in Srinagar, India, September 8, 2021. 
News

EU: Prioritize Rights at India Summit

Provide Essential Medical Supplies; Urge India to Free Rights Defenders, Address Abuses

(Brussels) – European leaders at the May 8, 2021 summit with their Indian counterparts should prioritize the deteriorating human rights situation in India, including the right to health, eight organizations said today. With a devastating Covid-19…
People suffering from breathing problems receive free oxygen support at a gurdwara, a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Delhi, India.
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India: Journalists Covering Farmer Protests Charged

Drop Cases, Protect Media Freedom

(New York) – Eight journalists who covered the farmer protests in India and violence in Delhi on January 26, 2021 are facing baseless criminal charges, Human Rights Watch said today. The Indian authorities should drop the charges, which include…
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News

India: Counterterrorism Raids Targeting Peaceful Critics

Stop Unlawful Operations Against Kashmiri and Other Rights Groups

(New York) – The Indian government is using counterterrorism operations to silence peaceful dissenters, human rights activists, and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 28 and 29, 2020, the authorities carried out several raids on…
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News

India: Amnesty International Forced to Halt Work

Government Increasingly Targeting Rights Groups

(New York) – Amnesty International India announced that it is halting its work in the country after the Indian government froze its bank accounts in an act of reprisal for the organization’s human rights work. Fifteen international human rights…
Amnesty International India headquarters in Bangalore, India.
News

India: Arrests of Activists Politically Motivated

Sedition, Counterterrorism Laws Used to Silence Dissent

(New York) – The Indian authorities are increasingly bringing politically motivated cases, including under severe sedition and terrorism laws, against critics of the government, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately drop…
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News

India: Contempt Conviction Threatens Free Speech

Supreme Court Uses Broad Powers to Muzzle Social Activist

(New York) – The Indian Supreme Court’s conviction of a prominent lawyer for criminal contempt of court can have a chilling effect on legitimate criticism, including of the country’s judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today. On August 14, 2020, the…
सुप्रीम कोर्ट के बाहर मीडिया से बात करते भारतीय वकील और सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता प्रशांत भूषण, नई दिल्ली, भारत, 2 फरवरी, 2012.
News

India: Abuses Persist in Jammu and Kashmir

Internet Restrictions Amid Pandemic Exacerbate Yearlong Crackdown

(New York) – Indian authorities continue to impose harsh and discriminatory restrictions on Muslim-majority areas in Jammu and Kashmir, one year after the revocation of the state’s constitutional status on August 5, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today…
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News

India’s Steps to Contain Covid-19 Have Failed to Curb Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

Discrimination Will Affect the Country’s Fight Against the Pandemic

As the number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 10,000, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on April 14 to announce an extension of the nationwide lockdown until May 3. He acknowledged the hardship, particularly for…
Men wait for a bus that will take them to a quarantine facility in the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi, India, March 31, 2020.
News

India: Activists Detained for Peaceful Dissent

Counterterrorism Law Politicized in Bhima Koregaon Case

(New York) – Indian authorities on April 14, 2020 detained two rights activists who have been critics of government policies, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should immediately drop all charges under a counterterrorism law against…
Activist Anand Teltumbde (center), before he surrendered to the National Investigative Agency in Mumbai, on April 14, 2020. © Parth MN
News

End Internet Shutdowns to Manage COVID-19

Blocking Access Could Cost Lives

UPDATE: Ethiopia announced that it would restore phone and internet service to western Oromia after a three-month shutdown. (New York) – Intentionally shutting down or restricting access to the internet violates multiple rights and can be…
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News

India: Police Fail to Protect Students

Government Supporters Go On 3-Hour Rampage at University in Delhi

  (New York) – Police in India failed to intervene when alleged supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assaulted university students in Delhi on January 5, 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. Witnesses reported that dozens of masked…
Police stand guard inside the Jawaharlal Nehru University after violence inside the campus, New Delhi, India, January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

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