The Indian government is misusing of the restrictive laws including national security and counter, terrorism legislation to arrest and imprison human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and critics, as per the reports of CIVICUS, a global civil society organisations dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world.
CIVICUS has highlighted the ongoing misuse of restrictive laws by the Indian government, at a time when the country is going through the worst phase of the pandemic.
The arrest, the targeting of journalists, detention and prosecution of activists, protests against the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act and increasing violations in Jammu Kashmir.
According to the report of CIVICUS, “Punished for speaking up: The ongoing use of restrictive laws to silence dissent in India,” shows an increasingly repressive environment for civic freedoms, such as the freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
Josef Benedict, the CIVICUS Asia-Pacific Civic Space Researcher said, “The Indian government must stop using restrictive national security and counter-terrorism laws against human rights defenders and critics.”
“The authorities must also drop the baseless and politically-motivated criminal charges against activists and release them immediately and unconditionally.”
“The laws are incompatible with India’s international human rights obligations as well as India’s Constitution. Not only are the laws themselves inherently flawed, but their implementation makes it clear that they have become tools for judicial harassment, rather than for preventing or addressing criminality.”
The Modi government even during the pandemic continued to use state resources to sustain its persecution of human rights defenders and critics.
While many of whom have underlying medical conditions or are at risk of contracting COVID-19 in overcrowded and unsanitary prisons.
CIVICUS also showed their concern about the judicial harassment of individuals and journalists who criticise the authorities’ handling of the pandemic.
The CIVICUS in its report also made recommendations to the Indian authorities, including, “Drop all charges against human rights defenders, activists and protesters, and immediately and unconditionally release all those detained and to review and amend India’s criminal laws to conform to international standards for the protection of fundamental freedoms. Take steps to ensure that all human rights defenders in India are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance or fear of reprisals”.