1/5 It is unfortunate that @pbhushan1 has been held guilty of contempt of court for his tweets criticising the functioning of the judiciary. Outdated provisions of criminal contempt laws in India must not be used to punish critics of the judiciary. #prashantbhushan
2/5 Because of the importance of an independent judiciary in society, it will inevitably be subject to comments and complaints, which can sometimes be deemed offensive. But courts can and should tolerate criticism #prashantbhushan
3/5 If comments directly affect the reputation of individual judges, they can take recourse to civil remedies like any other person. Outdated provisions of criminal contempt laws limit freedom of expression and opinion. It is akin to gagging dissent". #prashantbhushan
4/5 Amnesty International India recommends the repeal of Section 2(c)(i) of the Contempt of Courts Act that defines criminal contempt as any act or publication which scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court. #prashantbhushan
5/5 The United Human Rights Committee which monitors state compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – to which India is a state party – has noted that all public figures and public institutions are legitimately subject to criticism.
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More than 400 days since the start of the ethnic violence in Manipur, the Indian government and Manipur state government have failed to end the violence and protect human rights in the state. Read our latest statement here:
#Manipur #ManipurCrisisamnesty.org/en/latest/news…
The state and central governments’ blatant failure to end abuses, protect people and hold suspected perpetrators to account in Manipur have left communities terrified and devastated. The authorities’ 14-month long course of inaction and impunity must end immediately.
From the impunity afforded to vigilante groups and the Chief Minister’s divisive rhetoric, the Manipur government has continued to fail to prevent and end violence against ethnic communities and to bring to justice suspected perpetrators, thus perpetuating impunity.
The Indian govt must carry out an independent probe into the allegations of human rights violations reported by @thecaravanindia. Instead, it has censored the magazine by ordering to remove a story which reported alleged torture & killing of civilians in Jammu by the Indian army.
Today, in a post on X, Caravan magazine said, "This is to inform readers we have received an order from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting under Section 69A of the Information and Technology (IT) Act, directing us to take down this story in 24 hours."
Earlier this month, Caravan reported that at least 25 men were picked up from several villages in Rajouri and Poonch districts, and taken to three different army posts, where they were severely tortured in December 2023. Three of them had died.
We're concerned about the passing of the three laws, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya bill in the Lok Sabha. These proposed laws will only intensify the targeted crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.
Far from being an overhaul, the revised bills have not only retained the draconian laws but have also failed in addressing issues that have plagued the criminal justice system.
Instead, the proposed laws dangerously extend executive powers to invoke national security provisions without adequate safeguards. Some worrying provisions are discussed below.
Joint Letter: Amnesty International along with five other organizations call on the representatives of G20 member countries attending the Delhi 2023 summit to hold the Indian government accountable for the human rights violations in Kashmir. amnesty.org/en/documents/a…
The Indian authorities have intensified their crackdown on independent media and civil society groups through the frequent use of abusive counterterrorism and state security laws like UAPA and J&K Public Safety Act, which violate international norms.
India’s National Investigation Agency has arrested prominent human rights defender Khurram Parvez by misusing UAPA - India’s counter-terrorism law, as well as journalist Irfan Mehraj.
The media reports based on a video emerging out of Manipur allegedly showing a mob of Meitei men assaulting and parading two tribal Kuki women naked to gang-rape them is a shocking reminder of the scale and severity of the ongoing impunity in the state. rb.gy/rug6s
Media reports suggest that the video was made on May 4, a day after the violence began in Manipur. The state authorities were quick to block internet access that continues to date, hiding the true extent of the horrendous human rights violations being carried out in Manipur.
Rape and sexual violence have been used to inflict lasting physical and psychological damage on women and girls during ethnic violence. This brutal treatment is aimed at degrading and dehumanizing the tribal Kuki community.
In a series of arrests, 16 activists were imprisoned simply because they spoke up for the rights of the most marginalized in the country. Today, 5 years have passed since the first round of arrests of activists in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Shoma Sen is one of the #BK16. She investigated atrocities by security forces in Manipur & Chhattisgarh. On this day in 2018 she was arrested for ‘waging war against the Government of India’. She remains in jail without trial.
2/7
Actor. Publisher. Activist.
Sudhir Dhawale published a Marathi magazine focused on various social issues. In 2011, he was arrested for "waging war against the Govt" and acquitted. On this day in 2018, he was arrested again the same charge. He remains in jail without trial. 3/7