{"id":169735,"date":"2020-10-05T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=169735"},"modified":"2020-10-01T08:41:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T07:41:20","slug":"amnesty-international-shutters-offices-in-india-citing-government-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/10\/amnesty-international-shutters-offices-in-india-citing-government-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Amnesty International Shutters Offices in India, Citing Government Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-1smgwul e1wiw3jv0\"><em>The organization\u2019s premises have been raided and its bank accounts frozen. The actions, it says, are reprisals for criticizing the country\u2019s human rights record.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_169737\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Amnesty-International-Bangalore-India.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-169737\" class=\"wp-image-169737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Amnesty-International-Bangalore-India.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Amnesty-International-Bangalore-India.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Amnesty-International-Bangalore-India-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-169737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amnesty International offices in Bangalore, India, last year. In recent months, the group has published reports on the Delhi police\u2019s role in fomenting anti-Muslim violence and on the use of torture in Kashmir. IBTimes India<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\"><em>29 Sep 2020 &#8211; <\/em>The human rights organization Amnesty International said today that it had ceased its operations in India and laid off its entire staff in response to a series of government reprisals including the freezing of its bank accounts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Amnesty said that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had targeted the organization for years in response to its work exposing human rights violations in India. In recent months, the group has published reports on the Delhi police\u2019s role in fomenting <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/03\/12\/world\/asia\/india-police-muslims.html\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" >anti-Muslim violence<\/a> and on the use of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/06\/world\/asia\/kashmir-india-torture.html\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" >torture in Kashmir<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">The Indian government <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1660095#.X3MxyVBxhy0.whatsapp\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said in a statement<\/a> that the allegations from Amnesty were \u201cunfortunate, exaggerated and far from the truth.\u201d The organization has repeatedly violated local laws by circumventing the regulations under which foreign entities can receive donations from abroad, the government added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cAll the glossy statements about humanitarian work and speaking truth to power are nothing but a ploy to divert attention from their activities which were in clear contravention of laid-down Indian laws,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Amnesty International India denied the authorities\u2019 accusation that the group had violated the country\u2019s rules on foreign funding, which are intended to combat money laundering and which appear to be the pretext for the freezing of the accounts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">The government\u2019s campaign against nongovernmental organizations, which Amnesty described as a \u201cwitch hunt,\u201d had made fund-raising and operating effectively impossible, the group said. Amnesty has previously ceased operations in only one other country: Russia, in 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cThe continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts is not accidental,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/amnesty.org.in\/news-update\/amnesty-international-india-halts-its-work-on-upholding-human-rights-in-india-due-to-reprisal-from-government-of-india-2\/\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the organization said in a statement<\/a>, but was instead the result of the group\u2019s \u201cunequivocal calls for transparency in the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Mr. Modi\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/05\/07\/world\/asia\/india-narendra-modi-ngos-ford-foundation-greenpeace.html\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" >government began in 2014 to place restrictions on prominent charitable<\/a> organizations, particularly those that sought foreign donations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Officials in Mr. Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party have denounced human rights and environmental activism as \u201canti-national.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">In 2018, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstpost.com\/india\/fcra-licences-of-20000-ngos-cancelled-act-being-used-as-weapon-to-silence-organisations-3181560.html\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">licenses of nearly 20,000 nongovernmental organizations<\/a> were canceled by the Indian Home Affairs Ministry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Many of those organizations were critical of Mr. Modi and raised questions about his role in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2014\/04\/06\/world\/asia\/modi-gujarat-riots-timeline.html#\/#time287_8514\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" >the anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat<\/a> when he was the chief minister there in 2002.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Previous governments, including those led by the opposition Indian National Congress party, have also been accused of targeting organizations critical of their policies. Nevertheless, opposition politicians used the moment to denounce Mr. Modi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cIndia\u2019s stature as a liberal democracy with free institutions, including media &amp; civil society organizations, accounted for much of its soft power in the world,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShashiTharoor\/status\/1310823798837444611\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shashi Tharoor,<\/a> a Congress party politician and former diplomat, wrote on Twitter. \u201cActions like this both undermine our reputation as a democracy &amp; vitiate our soft power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Rajat Khosla, an Amnesty official, called the crackdown a \u201cvery worrying development.\u201d He added that it was \u201calso very saddening to see what is happening with the civil rights movements in India.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Mr. Khosla said that his organization had been facing systematic intimidation by the government. It was only after an earlier court intervention that Amnesty had been temporarily able to use funds generated locally to run its operations, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">In recent months, the group has released reports on the complicity of the Delhi police in the March riots that killed at least 53 people, most of them Muslim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">It has also demanded the release of all <a href=\"https:\/\/amnesty.org.in\/news-update\/government-of-india-must-urgently-stop-the-protracted-clampdown-in-jammu-and-kashmir\/\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">political leaders, journalists and activists<\/a> in Kashmir, as well as the restoration of all internet services in the restive region, which was recently <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/05\/world\/asia\/india-pakistan-kashmir-jammu.html\" class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" >stripped of its semiautonomous status<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Harsh Mander, an Indian human rights activist, said the government was targeting activists to crush the last dissenting voices in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cThis government is openly at war with the people at this moment,\u201d Mr. Mander said. \u201cThey have chosen two targets: Muslims and dissenters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>______________________________________________<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1jp38cr\">\n<div class=\"css-19hdyf3 e1e7j8ap0\">\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sameer-yasir.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-169738 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/sameer-yasir-e1601537821679.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Sameer Yasir is a reporter for <\/em>The New York Times<em>, covering the intersection of identity politics, conflicts and society. He joined <\/em>The Times<em> in 2020 and is based in New Delhi.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"css-4w91ra\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/hari-kumar.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-169739 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/hari-kumar-e1601537858773.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. He joined <\/em>The Times <em>in 1997.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-pncxxs etfikam0\"><em>Sameer Yasir reported from Srinagar, and Hari Kumar from New Delhi.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>A version of this article appears in print on <span class=\"css-1dmwf73\" data-testid=\"todays-date\">Sept. 30, 2020<\/span>, Section A, Page 14 of the New York edition with the headline: Rights Group Leaves India, Citing Actions By Officials .<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/29\/world\/asia\/india-amnesty-international.html\" >Go to Original &#8211; nytimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>29 Sep 2020 &#8211; The human rights organization said today that it had ceased its operations in India and laid off its entire staff in response to a series of government reprisals including the freezing of its bank accounts. The actions, it says, are retaliations for criticizing the country\u2019s human rights record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":169737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[224],"tags":[1634,487,759],"class_list":["post-169735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","tag-amnesty-international","tag-human-rights","tag-india"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}