Freedom of expression was guaranteed selectively, and dissent was repressed through unlawful restrictions on peaceful protests and by silencing critics. Human rights defenders, including students, academics, journalists and artists, were arbitrarily arrested, often without charge or trial. Despite...

The United States and Indian governments must address the grave human rights issues in both countries during Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with President Biden in Washington DC, said Amnesty International ahead of the state visit this week. “Prime Minister Modi has presided over a period of rapid...

Reacting to the vast numbers of people worldwide expected to mark Earth Day on 22 April, Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Director of Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability programme said: “Hundreds of millions of people around the world are expected to mark Earth...

Responding to a report by the Financial Times that India is searching for alternative spyware technology to replace NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance software, Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, Head of the Security Lab at Amnesty International, said:   “It is chilling that instead of respecting human rights and...

Responding to the arrest of Kashmiri journalist, Irfan Mehraj, in Srinagar by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a “terror funding case”, Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, said: “The arrest of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj under terror charges is...

Responding to the news that Indian tax department officials are carrying out ‘surveys’ at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai, mere weeks after the organization broadcasted a documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Aakar Patel, Chair of Amnesty...

Responding to the demolition of homes and businesses in Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir that are ongoing since 4 February, Aakar Patel, chair of board for Amnesty International India said: “The ongoing demolitions appear to be an extension of the brutal human rights...

The Indian and Egyptian authorities must address the ongoing human rights and impunity crises in the two countries, Amnesty International said today, as India hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the chief guest at its Republic Day celebrations. In recent years, authorities in both...

Amid the doom and gloom of human rights work in the region, a few success stories this year give me hope. by Yamini Mishra, South Asia Regional Director at Amnesty International A cursory look at the human rights situation in South Asia can make one feel that the arc of the moral universe in the...

The incoming government in the state of Gujarat must prioritize and uphold human rights for all including religious minorities and human rights defenders who continue to face escalating repression and persecution, Amnesty International said today after the Bharatiya Janata Party won a majority in...

The undersigned organizations call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested one year ago on November 22, 2021 on politically motivated terrorism and other charges. Parvez, the Coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil...

Member States Seek Protection of Minority Rights, Free Speech, Peaceful Assembly The Indian government should promptly adopt and act on the recommendations that United Nations member states made at the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process on November 10, 2022, six...

Ahead of India’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council on 10 November, Aakar Patel, chair of board of Amnesty International India, said: “India’s fourth UPR arrives at a time when human rights and critical institutions, independent media houses and civil...