11 May 2010
Ensure free expression and opinion for Maoist supporters, Human Rights
Watch urges
SOURCE: Human Rights Watch
(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - New York, May 7, 2010 - The Indian
government should not equate peaceful political speech with criminal
acts while conducting its operations against armed Maoist groups,
Human Rights Watch said today.
The Indian government appears to have threatened to curb the right to
freedom of expression by treating it as equivalent to providing
material or physical support for criminal acts by the proscribed
Communist Party of India (Maoist), also known as Naxalites, which the
government has banned.
"The Indian government should think twice before trying to silence
political discussion and demanding endorsement of its views on Maoist
groups," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The
recent views expressed by the Indian government against so-called
sympathizers could be understood as carte blanche by local authorities
to harass and arrest critics of Indian government policy."
On May 6, 2010, the Home Ministry issued a statement saying that, "It
has come to the notice of the government that some Maoist leaders have
been directly contacting certain NGOs and intellectuals to propagate
their ideology and persuade them to take steps which would provide
support to the CPI (Maoist) ideology." Government officials warned
members of civil society that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act, 1967, which calls for imprisonment of up to 10 years, could be
used to punish individuals in contact with the Maoists. Home Minister
P. Chidambaram had earlier called upon civil society demanding "voices
of condemnation of those who have, erroneously, extended intellectual
and material support to the CPI (Maoist)."
The Maoists claim to speak for the rights of the marginalized,
including landless peasants, tribal groups, and Dalits. Maoists have
been responsible for serious abuses, including the destruction of
schools and hospitals, extortion, torture, and killings. The Indian
government has acknowledged that the failure of the government to
provide adequate services and development opportunities has led to
disaffection and support for the Maoists in some areas.
The Indian government has carried out armed operations to restore law
and order in areas dominated by the Maoists and to protect the
population. Some state governments combating the Maoists, particularly
in Chhattisgarh, have long subjected human rights defenders and
activists to surveillance, arbitrary travel restrictions, filing of
false cases, arbitrary arrests, and slander campaigns in the press.
Journalists often practice self-censorship to protect themselves from
government harassment. Arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial
killings by government forces create a risk of fueling anger and
recruiting people to the Maoist cause, Human Rights Watch said.
The population in affected areas is often caught between the Maoist
combatants and government security forces. The Maoists frequently
demand food or shelter at gunpoint and engage in forcible recruitment.
Government forces often arrest and abuse those same villagers,
claiming that they are Maoist supporters.
"The Indian government is well aware that security operations often
result in increased rights abuses," Adams said. "An active and
fearless civil society that monitors abuses by both sides is crucial
to ensure the protection of civilians. Threats to civil society have
no place in a democracy."
For more information:
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10118
USA
hrwnyc (@) hrw.org
Phone: +1 212 290 4700
Fax: +1 212 736 1300
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org
--
Urvashi Sharma
http://yaishwaryaj.hpage.com
No comments:
Post a Comment