WORLD NEWS | Indian human rights activists brief MEPs

LONDON, 30th November (PTI) A group of Indian human rights activists briefed European Union (EU) policymakers on the need for the international community to demand the repeal of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act ( UAPA).

According to the Stichting The London Story think tank, policy advisers from the European Parliament participated in the online briefing, including the Parliament’s permanent rapporteur on India, advisers to the German parliament, human rights experts from the European Commission, as well as human rights NGOs and researchers from around the world.

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Concerns raised at the briefing included UAPA’s definition of “unlawful activity,” which was deemed “too inclusive,” according to a press release.

“While the Indian regime is trying to portray itself internationally as a defender of democracy and telling other countries that now is not the time for war, it is also waging war on its own citizens,” said Avinash Kumar, former head of Amnesty India .

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“Those democracy advocates sitting in the West need to expose this hypocrisy and they are also engaging with the Indian government on a range of other issues, such as business,” he said.

India has previously rejected criticism from foreign governments and human rights groups over allegations that civil liberties have been eroded in the country.

The Indian government claims that India has well-established democratic practices and sound institutions to guarantee the rights of all.

The Government emphasized that the Indian Constitution provided adequate safeguards under various statutes to ensure the protection of human rights.

Sharing a recent study on UAPA, V. Suresh, National General Secretary, Awami League for Civil Liberties, pointed out that only 2.8% of those arrested in UAPA cases since 2009 were convicted, but only if the accused spent money without bail He was held in pretrial detention for many years.

Stichting The London Story is a think tank led by the Indian diaspora, which aims to ensure that human rights and democratic values ​​are at the heart of EU-India relations.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)