A collective of human rights organisations has said that India will have to face questions on its handling of human rights defenders, at the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in November.
Calling for the "immediate release" of activist Teesta Setalvad, the Working Group on Human Rights in India and the U.N. (WGHR) said that a number of U.N. human rights representatives had urged India to ensure the safety of human rights defenders.
"As India is to appear before the U.N. Human Rights Council for its fourth review under the UN's Universal Periodic Review in November 2022, the government will be required to respond to the comments and recommendations from U.N. member states on the issue of human rights defenders," a statement from the WGHR said.
The Universal Periodic Review of the member countries of the United Nations is a tradition of the global body. All member countries have to undergo this process that exposes it to questions and observations from other member countries. The collective reminded that India had "obligations under the international human rights instruments that it has ratified" and that the Human Rights Council will review its obligations as per the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.
"WGHR calls for the immediate release of its member Teesta Setalvad. It also calls for the release of R.B. Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt. The systematic targeting of human rights defenders by the Indian state must stop," said the WGHR.
