The brazen cynicism of the West
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour at the 14 July ceremony on the Champs-Elysées. Alongside Emmanuel Macron, he will take part in the traditional military parade, which will also include the Indian Armed Forces. It is cynical to roll out the red carpet for India’s far right. What meanness it takes to make Narendra Modi the guest of honour of the French Republic on the most symbolic day of the year.
India is responsible for widespread atrocities and blatant human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Since its unlawful and unilateral actions on 5 August 2019, Indian forces have killed 639 innocent Kashmiri residents in extrajudicial killings.
Numerous UN reports, including two commissioned by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2018 and 2019, have reaffirmed the ongoing Indian atrocities against the Kashmiri people. In addition, mass killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape, sexual assault, repression and suppression of freedom of expression by the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force are daily occurrences of these heinous crimes.
The world is witnessing the ongoing repression of journalists and human rights activists through draconian laws such as the Sedition and Anti-Terrorism Acts, such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Public Security Act and the new media policy 2020.
Under these laws, human rights activists such as award-winning human rights activist Khurram Parvez and journalists such as Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, Irfan Mehraj, Sajad Gul and journalist Rana Ayyub who try to expose the true face of the Indian occupation forces are silenced. Such legislation is used to create a vicious cycle of prosecutions of journalists and activists.
You are guilty of being in the same room as Modi, who oppresses religious minorities! Unfortunately, economic interests override the Western principles of human rights that are so loudly and buskily proclaimed.
Endre Barcs
