India: EU must place human rights at the heart of its strategic partnership
As the College of Commissioners prepares to visit India in the context of efforts to upgrade the strategic partnership between the European Union (EU) and India, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and 11 other human rights organisations urge the EU leaders in a joint letter to step up their engagement with their Indian counterparts in light of the profound human rights crisis in the country.
Over the past decade, India has witnessed serious democratic backsliding. The government has escalated its crackdown on peaceful dissent, press freedom, civil society, and religious minorities, while weakening independent institutions. Authorities routinely misuse counter-terrorism, foreign funding, and anti-money laundering laws—including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution
(Regulation) Act (FCRA), Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA)—to silence human rights defenders, journalists, and NGOs.
The UN Human Rights Committee and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) have called for urgent reforms of these laws. Yet arbitrary arrests, FCRA license cancellations, and travel bans persist. The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRCI) has failed to respond effectively, prompting the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to defer its re-accreditation.
Discriminatory measures targeting Muslims and other minorities remain in force, including the Citizenship Amendment Act. In Jammu and Kashmir, repression continues through arbitrary detention and draconian laws. In Manipur, the government has failed to stop ongoing ethnic violence and has not initiated credible investigations into killings and mass displacement.
India leads the world in internet shutdowns and uses repressive digital laws to censor and surveil. Indian authorities have also been linked to spyware use and transnational repression, including credible allegations of extrajudicial killings abroad.
Despite these developments, the EU has remained largely silent. Quiet diplomacy alone is not enough. OMCT urges the College of Commissioners to speak out publicly and to call for:
- The release of those detained for peaceful dissent, including Khurram Parvez;
- Reform or repeal of repressive laws including the UAPA, FCRA, PSA and AFSPA;
- Investigations into abuses in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir;
- An end to discriminatory laws and practices targeting minorities;
- Protection for press freedom and civil society;
- A halt to unlawful surveillance and internet shutdowns;
- Implementation of recommendations from UN bodies, GANHRI, and India’s Universal Periodic Rview.
Human rights must be placed at the heart of EU-India relations and not sidelined in silence.
