Human Rights Groups Request Trade Minister to Raise BJP Human Rights Abuses During Canada’s Upcoming Visit to India
March 8th, 2022
Human rights activists are strongly urging Canada’s International Trade Minister Mary Ng to address the human rights crisis during her upcoming visit to India—a trip meant to strengthen trade relationships and “open new doors” for Canadian business entities.
Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized Indian authorities for adopting laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and stigmatize government critics. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of HRW, also warns that “the Indian government has not only failed to protect Muslims and other minorities from attacks. but is providing political patronage and cover for bigotry”.
On February 22nd, Justice For All Canada raised these concerns directly with the Office of Minister Ng. We explained that the nationalist and anti-minority sentiments of India’s BJP-led government have infiltrated institutions, undermining equal protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
“Canada subscribes to international laws which prohibit discrimination based on ethnicity, race, and religion. Under their own constitution, India’s BJP government is required to prosecute entities responsible for minority violence and discrimination. They’re also obligated to protect religious and other minority populations,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
Minister Ng’s trip to India is part of Canada’s first women-only virtual business mission to India, hosted by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF-Canada), in partnership with the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC). In the spirit of women and girls’ rights, we also hope Minister Ng will raise concern on the systemic abuse of Muslim girl students in Karnataka. They are currently barred from attending classes and writing exams due to hardline Hindutva group opposition to hijab, which has now become a full ban on the religious garment. This has impacted millions of Muslim women and girls in the state.
As a founding party of the United Nations (UN), we amplify our argument that Canada must make human rights in India a priority over trade interests for several reasons:
If the above-mentioned issues are not highlighted during this upcoming initiative, Canada will not only fail to hold India accountable for violating its obligations under international human rights law but will also deteriorate Canada’s own obligations to global human rights.
Human rights activists are strongly urging Canada’s International Trade Minister Mary Ng to address the human rights crisis during her upcoming visit to India—a trip meant to strengthen trade relationships and “open new doors” for Canadian business entities.
Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized Indian authorities for adopting laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and stigmatize government critics. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of HRW, also warns that “the Indian government has not only failed to protect Muslims and other minorities from attacks. but is providing political patronage and cover for bigotry”.
On February 22nd, Justice For All Canada raised these concerns directly with the Office of Minister Ng. We explained that the nationalist and anti-minority sentiments of India’s BJP-led government have infiltrated institutions, undermining equal protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
“Canada subscribes to international laws which prohibit discrimination based on ethnicity, race, and religion. Under their own constitution, India’s BJP government is required to prosecute entities responsible for minority violence and discrimination. They’re also obligated to protect religious and other minority populations,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
Minister Ng’s trip to India is part of Canada’s first women-only virtual business mission to India, hosted by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF-Canada), in partnership with the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC). In the spirit of women and girls’ rights, we also hope Minister Ng will raise concern on the systemic abuse of Muslim girl students in Karnataka. They are currently barred from attending classes and writing exams due to hardline Hindutva group opposition to hijab, which has now become a full ban on the religious garment. This has impacted millions of Muslim women and girls in the state.
As a founding party of the United Nations (UN), we amplify our argument that Canada must make human rights in India a priority over trade interests for several reasons:
- Genocide Watch founder Gregory Stanton said during a US congressional briefing that there were early “signs and processes” of genocide in the Indian state of Assam and Indian-administered Kashmir. More recently, he issued a warning that India is in the preparation stage of a Muslim genocide, particularly in Uttar Pradesh (ruled by radical BJP leader Yogi Adityanath). Stanton previously predicted the massacre of Tutsi peoples in Rwanda years before it took place in 1994.
- The BJP government passed a citizenship law in December 2019 that discriminates against Muslims, making religion the basis for citizenship for the first time in India’s constitutional history.
- In August 2019, the government also revoked the constitutional autonomy granted to the only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir, and imposed restrictions in violation of people’s basic rights.
- After months of peaceful protests by Indians of all faiths against the government’s discriminatory citizenship law and proposed policies, the devastating government attacks in Delhi had followed in February 2020.
- Once hundreds of thousands of farmers of various faiths began protesting against the government’s new farm laws in November 2020, senior BJP leaders, their supporters on social media, and pro-government media blamed Sikh minorities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in parliament, describing those who participated in peaceful protests as “parasites”. He also called international criticism of increasing authoritarianism in India a “foreign destructive ideology.”
- Since October 2018, Indian authorities have threatened to deport Rohingya Muslim refugees to Burma despite the risks to their lives and security. Several Rohingya were already repatriated from India against their will.
- States use laws against cow slaughter to prosecute Muslim cattle traders. On an ongoing basis, BJP-affiliated groups brutally attack and lynch Muslims and Dalits on rumours that they carry or trade cows or beef.
If the above-mentioned issues are not highlighted during this upcoming initiative, Canada will not only fail to hold India accountable for violating its obligations under international human rights law but will also deteriorate Canada’s own obligations to global human rights.