PTI
United Nations
Over 20 UN human rights experts on Tuesday voiced alarm at the “repeatedly heavy-handed police response” to peaceful youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi and other cities over the past three months, calling on authorities to “respect, protect and fulfil” the right to peacefully protest.
“This crackdown reflects a broader, troubling pattern,” the experts said in a statement in Geneva. “We have repeatedly alerted the Indian authorities to undue restrictions on peaceful assembly, excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of student activists, amongst others.”
The experts said they are “alarmed” by the “repeatedly heavy-handed police response to peaceful youth-led demonstrations” in New Delhi and other parts of the country over the past three months.
They called on Indian authorities to “respect, protect and fulfil” the right to peacefully protest, and ensure justice for human rights violations reported during these and previous protests.
“We call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions,” they said. The experts called for an independent, impartial, and thorough investigation into the conduct of law enforcement.
They said that despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, “law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students, including lathi charges and have prevented thousands from joining the protests.”
The experts noted that over the last few months, thousands of students and their supporters have been gathering peacefully to protest in different parts of the country against government decisions regarding the education system, and more recently, voter-roll deletions, which affect 130 million individuals.
They claimed that reportedly, over 7000 youths, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and members of political parties were recently arbitrarily detained in New Delhi. Most were released 24 hours later, including protest leaders.
The experts expressed particular concern about reports of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse in the protests and related detentions.
They also raised concerns over the ban on public gatherings and internet shutdowns. “These actions violate India’s core international legal obligations, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, liberty, security of the person, and the right to defend human rights” they added.
The experts include Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Leopoldo Maldonado Gutierrez, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Andrea Bolanos Vargas, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Pau Perez Sales and Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences Reem Alsalem.
