Amnesty International organization 'non grata' in India

(Patria) – Human rights organization Amnesty International on Tuesday halted activities in India after the Indian government froze all bank accounts of the international group in an effort to prevent their work uncovering rights violations.   

Amnesty claims they were forced to lay off staff after a two-year 'crackdown' due to allegations of financial irregularities, which they say are unfounded.

- This is the latest in a continuous witch hunt by the Indian government, based on unfounded and motivated allegations, the organization's statement reads, among other things.

In recent months, Amnesty International has frequently pointed to rights violations in the disputed regions of Kashmir and Jammu, as well as the alleged lack of accountability or complicity of the police in the context of protests in Delhi in February, which resulted in the ethnically motivated killing of 50 civilians – and, as they claim, the government decided to punish their behavior.  

This is not the first time the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced condemnation for brutally suppressing dissent, including the situation in Kashmir, which has a Muslim majority and where government forces have been clashing with rebels for 30 years, Reuters writes.  

Critics of the Indian government point to preferential treatment of Hindus, which undermines the secular foundations of Indian democracy.

The government denies prejudice against any ethnic group in the country, but activists claim it continues to tighten the noose around foreign non-governmental organizations in the country.