Amnesty International India
{{short description|Indian unit of Amnesty International}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Amnesty International India
| logo =
| type = NGO
| key_people = Avinash Kumar (Executive Director)
| industry = Human Rights
| foundation = 1966, India
| location = Bangalore, India
| homepage = {{URL|https://amnesty.org.in}}
}}
Amnesty International India was a country unit of the Amnesty International network, and was part of a global movement promoting and defending human rights and dignity. In September 2020, Amnesty halted its operations in the country after all bank accounts of the organization were frozen by Enforcement Directorate in connection with its money laundering probe into the finances of Amnesty International and its related entities.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-08 |title=ED attaches Rs 1.54 crore assets in money laundering case against Amnesty |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ed-attaches-rs-1-54-crore-assets-in-money-laundering-case-against-amnesty-8196704/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}} The organization called this 'witch hunting' while the government of India said the case is based on a FIR filed by CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) against Amnesty for alleged violation of the Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act {{Cite web|title=Amnesty official alleges organisation's activities halted in India due to freezing of its accounts|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/dec/10/amnesty-official-alleges-organisations-activities-halted-in-india-due-to-freezing-of-its-accounts-2234528.html|access-date=2020-12-23|website=The New Indian Express|date=10 December 2020 }}{{Cite web |date=2022-10-08 |title=ED attaches Rs 1.54 crore assets in money laundering case against Amnesty |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ed-attaches-rs-1-54-crore-assets-in-money-laundering-case-against-amnesty-8196704/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}
History
= Rights =
An Amnesty International office was first set up in India in Bihar in 1966.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9i5sNMNh_uIC|title=Violation of Democratic Rights in India|first=Akshayakumar Ramanlal|last=Desai|date=1 January 1986|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=9780861321308|via=Google Books}} Since then, the organization has worked on cases related torture, prisoners of conscience, abusive laws, women's rights, corporate accountability and other human rights violations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/india-urgent-investigation-needed-after-rape-suspects-extrajudicially-executed|title=India: Urgent investigation needed after rape suspects 'extrajudicially executed'|website=www.amnesty.org.uk|access-date=2019-12-07}}
On 13 August 2016, Amnesty held an event in Bengaluru to discuss human rights violations in Kashmir, After the event, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad filed a first information report (FIR) against Amnesty India for being anti-national.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-37091945|title=Amnesty accused of sedition over Kashmir event in Bangalore|work=BBC News|date=16 August 2016|publisher=}} Amnesty India denied that the organization or its staff had been involved in any anti-national activities.{{cite web |title=Amnesty International India's response to complaint filed by ABVP - Amnesty International India |url=https://www.amnesty.org.in/show/news/amnesty-international-indias-response-to-complaint-filed-by-abvp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015013541/https://www.amnesty.org.in/show/news/amnesty-international-indias-response-to-complaint-filed-by-abvp/ |archive-date=2016-10-15 |publisher=}}{{cite news|title=Amnesty row: Human rights do not stand in the way of India's ambitions|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/amnesty-row-human-rights-do-not-stand-in-the-way-of-india-s-ambitions/story-rNASPrPOhePtonKjIHvANK.html|accessdate=29 January 2017|publisher=Hindustan Times|date=19 August 2016|language=en}} Sedition charges were pressed against Amnesty, but were dropped later on.{{cite news |title=Ex Amnesty India Chief Aakar Patel, Stopped At Airport, Goes To Court |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/former-amnesty-india-chief-aakar-patel-stopped-at-bengaluru-airport-2865392 |access-date=17 April 2022 |work=NDTV.com |date=6 April 2022}}
= CBI raid & foreign funding =
On 15 November 2019 the Central Bureau of Investigation raided the offices of Amnesty International India in Bengaluru and New Delhi during an investigation into an alleged breach of foreign funding laws. In a statement issued by CBI, they said "It was alleged that the provision of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010 and Indian Penal Code were contravened".{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/amnesty-international-offices-india-raided-federal-police-191115172007201.html|title=Amnesty International offices in India raided by federal police|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2019-12-07}}{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/cbi-raids-amnesty-india-offices-in-bengaluru-and-new-delhi/articleshow/72074572.cms|title=CBI raids Amnesty India offices in Bengaluru and New Delhi|date=2019-11-16|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-12-07}} Aakar Patel was the chief of Amnesty in 2019.{{cite news |title=Drop Airport Alert Against Ex Amnesty India Chief, Apologise: Court To CBI |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/drop-lookout-circular-against-ex-amnesty-india-chief-aakar-patel-immediately-cbi-court-tells-probe-agency-2868630 |access-date=7 April 2022 |work=NDTV.com |date=7 April 2022}}
In 2020, Amnesty said that "reprisals" from the Indian government froze the organization's bank account, forcing it to lay off staff, suspend all campaign and research work, and otherwise halt operations in India.{{Cite news|date=2020-09-29|title=Amnesty International to halt India operations|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54277329|access-date=2020-09-29}} The Ministry of Home Affairs said that Amnesty violated the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) as "a significant amount of foreign money was also remitted to Amnesty (India) without MHA’s approval under FCRA" and "owing to these illegal practices of Amnesty, the previous government had also rejected the repeated applications of Amnesty to receive funds from overseas. This had led Amnesty to suspend its India operations once during that period as well."{{Cite news|date=2020-09-29|title=Human Rights cannot be an excuse for defying the law of the land: MHA on Amnesty International|language=en-GB|work=DD News|url=http://ddnews.gov.in/national/human-rights-cannot-be-excuse-defying-law-land-mha-amnesty-international|access-date=2020-09-29}}
On 16 February 2021, the Enforcement Directorate attached properties worth ₹17.66 crore (about $2.4 million, at that time) of the organisation in connection with an alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ed-attaches-properties-worth-rs-17-66-cr-of-amnesty-india-others-101613483933122.html|title = ED attaches properties worth ₹17.66 crore of Amnesty International India|date = 16 February 2021}}
Campaigns
Amnesty International India collaborates with Railway Protection Force, Western Railways in Mumbai to ensure female passengers’ right to safety.{{cite news|title=Measures by Western Railway: Platforms to play special jingles for women safety|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/western-railways-women-safety-campaign-jingles-platform-2884423/|work=The Indian Express|date=30 June 2016|language=en}} It also ran a campaign to reduce the number of under-trials in jails in India.{{cite news|last1=Gandhi|first1=Divya|title=65% of prisoners in India are undertrials|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/65-of-prisoners-in-india-are-undertrials/article6238717.ece|work=The Hindu|language=en}} Some of Amnesty India's campaigns include seeking justice for the victims in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/india/2016/12/06/1984-anti-sikh-riots-after-indira-gandhi-assassination-amnesty-international-slams-sit-slow-progress-probe-old-cases|title=Amnesty International Slams Slow Progress Probe|last=|first=|date=6 December 2016|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/57074/amnesty-1984-riots/|title=Amnesty Urges Centre to Speed Up 1984 Massacre Cases|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/08/1984-anti-sikh-riots-calls-justice-india-160815061930857.html|title=1984 anti-Sikh riots: Calls for justice in India|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}} as well as opposing the use of the death penalty in India.{{cite web |title=End the Death Penalty - Amnesty International India |url=https://www.amnesty.org.in/our-work/end-the-death-penalty |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704210715/https://www.amnesty.org.in/our-work/end-the-death-penalty |archive-date=2016-07-04 |publisher=}}{{cite book|last1=Ghosh|first1=Anjali|title=India's Foreign Policy|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131710258|page=220|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y32u4JMroQgC&pg=PA220|language=en|year=2009}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/yakub-memon-india-carries-out-only-execution-over-1993-bomb-attacks|title=Yakub Memon: India carries out execution over 1993 bomb attacks|last=Burke|first=Jason|date=2015-07-30|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-07|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web |title=India Archives |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/india/report-india/ |website=Amnesty International |access-date=7 April 2022 |language=en}}
{{Authority control}}