WASHINGTON: Amnesty International’s chief vowed on Monday that therights group would not be silenced on raising concerns about Kashmirdespite what he called intimidation by Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi’s government.
India’s financial crime investigators recently accused Amnesty’s localbranch of violating foreign exchange regulations through taking money fromits London-based parent.
That claim came after Amnesty vocally criticised Modi’s government on thesituation in occupied Kashmir.
“The Modi government has made a very big attempt to crush Amnesty inIndia,” Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said inWashington.
“On the Kashmir question, on various human rights questions in Indiaitself, we are not intimidated,” he said.
“While our colleagues in our Indian office are under stress, they are ascommitted, motivated and courageous as ever, if not more, as a result ofthe repression that we face.”
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Modi’s government has cracked down on foreign non-governmentalorganisations since coming to power in 2014, suspending or banningthousands of groups, many working in health or the environment, forreceiving money from abroad.
Naidoo, however, said that Amnesty — whose Bangalore office was raided lastyear — would survive in India as it has funding from local donors.
Amnesty has faced heated criticism from India’s right wing for its stanceon Kashmir, where authorities have largely shut down the internet, mobileservice and initially also landlines.
“It is a horrific thing to actually cut people’s legitimate way ofcommunicating with each other completely,” Naidoo said. -APP/AFP
