Manipur based Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights (CSCHR) said today that the Government of India formally accepted 152 recommendations out of the 250 recommendations given by 112 member states of the United Nations during the session for the adoption of the outcome document on India’s 3rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR), to improve its human rights situation, on September 21, 2017,
According to CSCHR, the remaining 98 recommendations were simply noted. “However, most of the human rights issues critical to the situation in Manipur including the repeal/review of AFSPA, ratification of Convention on Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearances (CED), moratorium on death penalty, ratification of the Rome Statute on International Criminal Court, etc., are only noted without indicating a follow up plan and not accepted,” CSCHR also stated. Many international organizations including Amnesty International, International Commission of Jurist, FORUM-ASIA, WGHR, etc., strongly denounced the Government of India’s continued refusal to accept the recommendation for the repeal/review of AFSPA, it added.
A five-member delegation of CSCHR attended the 36th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on September 21, 2017.
According to CSCHR, during their participation at the session of the UN Human Rights Council, it strongly deplored the refusal of the Government of India to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) despite persistent recommendations from the UN and international community.
The CSCHR then mentioned that, in the first cycle of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2008 Germany, UK and Canada made recommendation regarding AFSPA. Similarly in the second cycle in 2012, Switzerland, France and Slovakia made similar recommendations. In this third cycle too Government of Switzerland and Pakistan raised the issue.
But in all the three cycles Government of India has persistently refused to accept the recommendation. CSCHR also condemns the failure of India to ratify the Convention against Torture (CAT) despite its signing the treaty 20 years ago in 1997 and strongly urges Government of India to urgently ratify CAT by adopting an Act of Parliament for the prevention of torture that is consistent with the provisions of CAT.
According to CSCHR, on a side event entitled “UPR Outcome Document”, held on September 21 in the Palais des Nations, Jiten Yumnam of CSCHR stated, “The continued enforcement of AFSPA, 1958 mean the unleashing of more inhumanity, extreme forms of violations, genocidal practices and a culture of impunity, targeting the most marginalized communities and national minorities”.
Babloo Loitongbam of WGHR/CSCHR, who moderated the event, questioned the true meaning of India repeatedly accepting a recommendation to ratify the Convention Against Torture, which was accepted by the Government of India in the first, second and third UPR, while taking no meaningful action at all, the CSCHR further stated. Renu Takhellambam of EEVFAM drew the attention of the UN Human Rights Council on the issue of extrajudicial executions and AFSPA, it added.
The constituent members of CSCHR are Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE), Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD), Civil Liberties and Human Rights Organisation (CLAHRO), Civil Liberties People Forum (CLPF), Committee on Human Rights Manipur (COHR), Centre for Research & Advocacy Manipur (CRAM). Extra-judicial Execution Victim Families’ Association Manipur (EEVFAM), Families of the Involuntarily Disappeared’s Association Manipur (FIDAM), Human Rights Alert (HRA), Human Rights Initiative (HRI), Human Rights Defenders Manipur (HRDM), Human Rights Law Network Manipur (HRLN-M), Indigenous Perspectives (IP), Just Peace Foundation (JPF), Life Watch Movement for Peoples’ Right to Information Manipur (M-PRIM), REACHOUT, Threatened Indigenous Peoples Society (TIPS) and United Peoples Front (UPF).
Source: http://morungexpress.com/
Updated On: September 28, 2017