24 July 2021

The South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) is a Colombo based regional organisation. Its Bureau consists of many knowledgeable individuals from the region. However, it is doubtful if they exercised oversight on a public statement put out in the name of the organisation dated 9 July 2021. The public statement titled, ” SAHR Is Deeply Concerned For The Myanmar Nationals Fleeing To India And Their Impact On The Host Community” (see full text at https://www.southasianrights.org/sahr-is-deeply-concerned-for-the-myanmar-nationals-fleeing-to-india-and-their-impact-on-the-host-community/ ). It is dated 9 July 2021 and was brought to SAHRDC’S notice on the afternoon of 21 July 2021.

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South Asian Human Rights statement on refugees from Myanmar mendacious SAHR leadership needs to repudiate itRead More »

October 4, 2020

Without a mandated right to compensation, India does not meet international standards when it comes to recompense and rehabilitation for victims of rights violations, putting a veritable question mark on India’s commitment to democracy writes RAVI NAIR of South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre.

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India may be a signatory to many international agreements and treaties but some of the commitments made to the world community do not find the desired application within the country because of gaps and lack of clear-cut direction within Indian jurisprudence.

A case in point is the right to compensation for victims of human rights violations, including those perpetrated by the state like unlawful detention, torture, and custodial deaths. Currently, cases of recompense are virtually left to the discretion of individual judges.

However, there are several international agreements and reports that underline the need for governments to provide for suitable compensation.

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Violations of Rights and Compensation: India’s Failure to Adhere to International StandardsRead More »

OCTOBER 02, 2018

Dear Secretary-General,

I write to you in great hope. Your human rights credentials are impeccable. You fought the Salazar and Caetano dictatorships. As UN High Commissioner for Refugees, you put the protection of refugees back at the centre of UNHCR’s work.

Your present visit to India comes at a time of a serious backlash against human rights. I hope you will speak about some of these issues, in your public pronouncements and in your talks with government. Some key questions I hope you will raise are:

Caste and sanitation– As the Government of India observes Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary at the grand conference on sanitation that you will be attending, we ask you to urge the organisers to take a close look at the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation who visited India recently. The rapporteur emphasized that “States cannot fully realize the human rights to water and sanitation without addressing stigma as a root cause of discrimination and other human rights violations”.

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Open Letter to the UN Secretary-GeneralRead More »

 October 01, 2018

Uncivil Law,  Lessons from India’s failed “anti-terror” legislation

In late August, while investigating the violence at the Bhima Koregaon memorial in Pune earlier this year, the Pune police raided the homes of several well-known human-rights activists, scholars and lawyers, and arrested five among them. The arrests were made under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act—a law that has been widely criticised for its draconian nature. Amid public outcry over the arrests, the Congress too panned the government.

“There is only place for one NGO in India and it’s called the RSS,” the Congress’s president, Rahul Gandhi, tweeted. “Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to the new India. #BhimaKoregaon.” The Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi stepped up to argue in favour of the accused in the Supreme Court.

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Uncivil Law, Lessons from India’s failed “anti-terror” legislationRead More »