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India faced major human rights issues in 2022, including unlawful and arbitrary killings, press freedom, and violence against religious and ethnic minorities, a US report claimed...
Digital Desk: India faced major human rights issues in 2022, including unlawful and arbitrary killings, press freedom, and violence against religious and ethnic minorities, a US report claimed on Monday.
Released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the annual human rights reports of the State Department is a mandatory requirement of the US Congress giving details of human rights status in countries across the world.
The latest edition of the annual report condemns Russia and China, as well as Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar, for massive violations of human rights.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which started in February 2022, has resulted in massive death and devastation, with reports of Russian forces committing war crimes and other atrocities, including summary executions of civilians and horrific accounts of gender-based violence, including sexual violence against women and children, according to Blinken's report.
In Xinjiang, China, the country report describes how genocide and crimes against humanity continue to occur against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups, he said.
"Democracy, human rights, and labour rights are mutually reinforcing, and support for democratic renewal is important to promoting these rights," Blinken said as he announced that President Joe Biden will co-host the second Summit for Democracy on March 29-30 with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia.
The India portion of the country report notes that a lack of accountability for official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, adding to widespread impunity. Lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and underresourced court system contributed to a low number of convictions, it said.
India has previously rejected similar State Department reports. The Indian government has claimed that India has well-established democratic practices and strong organizations to protect the rights of all citizens.
The government has emphasized that the Indian Constitution offers adequate safeguards under different statutes to ensure the protection of human rights.
Among the significant human rights violations in India in 2022, as per the State Department, are unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials; and harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.
Other human rights violations in the nation include arbitrary arrest and detention; political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including violence or threats of violence, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and the enforcement or fear of enforcement of criminal libel laws to limit expression.
It also cites restrictions on internet freedom, interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and harassment of domestic and foreign human rights organizations as significant rights violations in India.
It also mentions crimes involving violence or threats of violence against members of national/racial/ethnic and minority groups based on religious affiliation, socioeconomic standing, or sexual orientation. Examples of gender-based violence mentioned include domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual violence, workplace violence, child, early, and forced marriage, femicide, and other forms of such violence.
"There were reports that government authorities accessed, collected, or used private communication arbitrarily or unlawfully or without adequate legal authority, and developed practises that allow for the arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, including the use of technology to arbitrarily or unlawfully surveil or interfere with individuals' privacy," it said.
The State Department stated that citizens generally enjoyed freedom of speech, despite the fact that independent media were active and voiced a wide range of views, but the government continued to limit content based on broad public and national interest provisions.
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