HRF Monthly

007 never had a licence to kill, and intelligence services are not above the law

/ / HRF Monthly

HRF/227/13 | July 2013

Much has been said recently about national interest requiring   turning a blind eye towards the extra-judicial killings of Indian citizens allegedly with the connivance of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and its uniformed police accomplices. To hear some commentators, all that stands between India and imminent destruction is the capacity of an unaccountable body to Parliament to execute whomever, wherever, and whenever they like. Stripped of the immunity to murder at whim, the IB would be allegedly forced to fight suspected terrorists with both hands tied behind its back. Or would it?

 

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2013

Amnesty: India, take steps to address UN concerns

/ / 2013

PressTV | Video Reportage | May 24, 2013

In a fresh statement Amnesty International has called on Indian government to take practical and immediate measures in order to address the numerous instances of un-law full killings and excessive use of force by its security forces.

Despite the repeated recommendations Of UN Rapporteur to establish a “credible commission of inquiry” to look into instances of extrajudicial executions in India, New Delhi has turned a blind eye to the repeated calls of rights groups.

According to the Special Rapporteur most of the unlawful killings in India occur as a result of the excessive use of force by the security forces, attacks by various armed groups, and killings of vulnerable persons.

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HRF Monthly

Institutionalising the Police State, Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill

/ / HRF Monthly

HRF 226/13 | March 2013

The Jammu and Kashmir government has cleverly used the Supreme Court’s order on revamping police legislation to bring in the J&K Police Bill 2013 that has several arbitrary and draconian provisions. While demanding revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the state government is attempting to bring in a law that gives the police huge powers over citizens without protecting the latter’s rights.

 

HRF Monthly

Civil rights and parliamentary oversight of intelligence agencies

/ / HRF Monthly

HRF 225/12 | December 2012

 

Dear Madam/Sir,

There is need for a statutory framework for South Asia’s intelligence agencies to build effective oversight and accountability mechanisms. Whilst national security is highly important to public interest, it is only one of many competing interests to be balanced for effective governance. This paper outlines best practice for regulation of intelligence services in South Asia, acknowledging the difficulty of balancing national security needs with civil liberties guarantees.  It seeks to identify appropriate civil liberties safeguards, whilst maintaining sufficient freedom for intelligence agencies to perform their functions effectively.

It appeared in the December 2012 issue of the South Asia Journal. 

 

2012

Experts on Human Rights Discuss India’s National Report to the UN Human Rights Council

/ / 2012

 

 

 

29, November 2012 | jamiajournal.com

The Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Academy of International Studies organized a panel discussion on “India’s National Report to the UN Human Rights Council” at the Academy’s Hu Chi Minh Conference Hall on Tuesday Nov.  20, 2012.

Besides the director of the Academy, T.C.A. Rangachari, and the panel convener Prof. Jamal M. Moosa, the other three panelists where  Ravi Nair, the Director of South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC);  S. Pal, Member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC); and  Prof. A.R. Vijapur, Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

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2012

Days of the Emergency

/ / 2012

02-12 -2012 | indianexpress

The second half of the 20th century saw civil liberties and human rights threatened around India, especially owing to the Emergency in 1975. In those days, freedom fighter Inder Mohan, also one of the founders of PUCL (Peoples Union for Civil Liberties), wrote fervently in support of people’s rights and liberties.

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