Amnesty International India halts India operations: Alleges witch-hunt by govt

New Delhi, Sep 29: Amnesty International India has said that it has halted India operations. It has alleged that the operations have been halted due to a witch-hunt by the government.

In a post on its website, Amnesty said the complete freezing of Amnesty International India's bank accounts by the Government of India which it came to know on 10 September 2020, brings all the work being done by the organisation to a grinding halt.

The organisation has been compelled to let go of staff in India and pause all its ongoing campaign and research work. This is latest in the incessant witch-hunt of human rights organisations by the Government of India over unfounded and motivated allegations.

"The continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts is not accidental. The constant harassment by government agencies including the Enforcement Directorate is a result of our unequivocal calls for transparency in the government, more recently for accountability of the Delhi police and the Government of India regarding the grave human rights violations in Delhi riots and Jammu & Kashmir. For a movement that has done nothing but raise its voices against injustice, this latest attack is akin to freezing dissent," said Avinash Kumar, Executive Director of Amnesty International India.

"The constant harassment by govt agencies is a result of our unequivocal calls for transparency, more recently for accountability of the Delhi police & Govt of India regarding grave human rights violations in Delhi riots and J&K," Kumar also said.

Our work in India, as elsewhere, is to uphold universal human rights and build a global movement of people who take injustice personally, Amnesty further added.