Following alleged government reprisals which included freezing of its bank accounts, human rights organization Amnesty International said on Tuesday that it had ceased its operations in India and laid off its entire staff.
The organization stated that the PM Modi-led government had attacked it for years because Amnesty kept exposing multiple human rights violations in India. According to the New York Times, Amnesty has published reports on how the Delhi police helped foment anti-Muslim violence and on the torture that Kashmiris have to go through on a daily basis.
Naturally, the government hit back at these allegations and called them “unfortunate, exaggerated, and far from the truth.” “All the glossy statements about humanitarian work and speaking truth to power are nothing but a ploy to divert attention from their activities which were in clear contravention of laid-down Indian laws,” the statement said.
It doesn’t come as a surprise anymore when leaders in the BJP denounce basic human rights work as “anti-national” and seditious.
In the past few months, Amnesty has demanded the release of political leaders, journalists, and activists in Kashmir and restoration of internet services in the state which was stripped of basic amenities since it was stripped of its semi-autonomous status.
“It is a dismal day when a country of India’s stature, a rising global power and a member of the UN Human Rights Council, with a constitution which commits to human rights and whose national human rights movements have influenced the world, so brazenly seeks to silence those who pursue accountability and justice. As many of our colleagues have lost their jobs this week thanks to the actions of the Government of India, we will look for ways to continue our support to them as we continue to call on the Government to end its shameful crackdown on those who stand up for human rights of Indians,” Amnesty said, in a statement.
According to the organisation, more than four million Indians have supported Amnesty International India’s work in the last eight years and around 100,000 Indians have made financial contributions.
