Web pages about "India"

Nearly 180 killed in Mumbai attacks

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:49:12 +0000

The death toll following 60 hours of siege in Mumbai has officially been put at nearly 180 in various attacks. The last part of the siege to end was that at the Taj hotel, which was retaken by Indian authorities on Saturday morning.

The Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said preliminary information suggested that "some elements" in Pakistan were responsible for the strikes on the two hotels, the Nariman Centre and the railway stations in Mumbai. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken up the issue with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

Investigators, including some from the US FBI who are coordinating investigations in Mumbai, are working on the leads that all the attackers came from Pakistan. They are thought to have captured an Indian fishing vessel, killed five men and used it to get close to Mumbai and used inflatable dinghies to arrive.

So far, details of the nationalities of people who lost their lives in the attacks are not clear. The identities of 15 people – three Germans, three Israelis, two Canadians, one each from the US, Britain, Japan, Australia, Italy, China and Thailand – have been confirmed. All other casualties are thought to be Indian.

Twenty-two bodies were recovered from the Taj Hotel after the end of the siege. The total number of people rescued from the two hotels and the Jewish centre at Nariman House run to nearly 1,000 during the 60 hours.

A total of 295 people were injured in all the attacks so far, many of them remain in critical condition.

At least 11 attackers have been killed so far. Fifteen security forces and police personnel, including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism chief and a major of the National Security Guard, were among those killed while fighting the attacks.

One of the attackers has been captured and it has been disclosed that he is a Pakistani national from Multan.

Both Indian and Pakistani authorities initially stated that the head of Pakistan's military intelligence, the ISI, Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, would visit India to share information on the attacks. It was later clarified by the Pakistani authorities that a representative of the ISI will visit India. The earlier information was ascribed to a miscommunication.

The Indian Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, resigned on Sunday and has been replaced by P Chidambaram, who was Finance Minister. The Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Home Minister R. R. Patil have also tendered their resignations.

Multiple attacks in Mumbai kill 143 people

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:49:17 +0000

At least 143 people have been killed and 300 injured in multiple attacks in Mumbai. The attacks, which started on Wednesday 27 November, targeted public places and tourist destinations such as a hospital, a railway station, a restaurant and hotels.

The attacks were unprecedented in their level of coordination and their targeting of foreign civilians. Among those who were held hostage in the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi-Trident hotels and the Jewish complex at the Nariman Centre were: Americans, British, Italians, Swedes, Canadians, Yemenis, New Zealanders, Spaniards, Turks, Israelis and a Singaporean.

It is unclear how many people of each nationality were killed as more bodies are thought to be inside the three buildings. Eleven foreigners have been reported dead. Four Australians, two British and one Italian have been confirmed. An Israeli family is also thought to have died in the attack on the Nariman Centre.

Seventeen residents and staff are known to have been killed at the Taj Mahal Palace. Among those to survive the attack at the hotel were a few European MEPs. About 200 people have been rescued, including 143 people from the Oberoi-Trident Hotel. Twenty-four bodies have been found in the Oberoit-Trident.

Nine of the attackers are reported to have been killed. Three have been arrested. Up to 25 attackers may have been involved. At least 15 members of the security forces and policemen, including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism chief and three other senior officers are among those killed while fighting the attacks.

The army and the National Security Guard have also been involved in gun battles as they try to clear the buildings and free hostages. The unknown gunmen are reported to be South Asian. Indian media reports have quoted security sources as stating that one of the three arrested persons was a Pakistani national from Faridkot in Multan.

The Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that preliminary information suggested that "some elements" in Pakistan were responsible for the terror strikes in Mumbai. India is expected to take up the matter with Islamabad when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari today.

The head of Pakistan's military intelligence, the ISI, Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, will visit India to share information on the attacks. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today accepted a request from the Indian Prime Minsiter to send the ISI chief to India, according to Pakistan Prime Minister's spokesman Zahid Bashir. The same was been confirmed by an Indian government spokesman.

The US is sending a team from the FBI to coordinate investigations.

Amnesty International said that the attacks blatantly violate the most fundamental principles of international law. The organization expressed sympathy for the families of those people killed or wounded in the attacks and concern for the fate of remaining hostages.

"We call on the Indian government to ensure a prompt, effective, and transparent investigation of the incidents," said Ramesh Gopalakrishnan of Amnesty International's South Asia team. "Any suspects should be investigated and brought to trials in line with international standards."

Thousands raise voices against poverty

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:46:04 +0000

Thousands of people around the world joined together on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty to raise their voices and demand action from governments. Friday, 17 October, was a call to everyone, from policy makers to the public, to recognise the rights and dignity of people living in poverty.

Amnesty International groups in 15 countries joined with other NGOs, civil society organizations, people living in poverty and supporters from around the world to raise their voices.

Events on the day included street exhibitions, film premieres, public testimonies and concerts.

Amnesty International's Indian section and the National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) organised a "National Take a Pledge, Take Action Day" in New Delhi at the Vitthalbhai Patel House Resident's Lawn.

"Other than achieving alliances and new partnerships, with this event we could involve poor and marginalised people in our activities. So many people from different backgrounds joined in, all of us demanding equal access to rights for people living in poverty,' said a spokesperson from Amnesty International's Indian section.

Over 500 activists in Mexico signed a banner petition calling on all governments to meet the Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015. The banner will be presented to the Secretary General of the United Nations on December 10th, the 60th Anniversary of the UDHR.

India must establish a moratorium on executions

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:41:33 +0000

This year, to mark the sixth annual World Day against the Death Penalty, Amnesty International and the World Coalition against the Death Penalty (WCADP), are calling for an end to capital punishment in the Asia Pacific region.

Amnesty International and the WCADP are targeting six countries. India, South Korea and Taiwan have been chosen because they have made progress towards abolition. Japan, Pakistan and Vietnam have been chosen as countries where there are concerns about the application of the death penalty. In this action however, we are focusing solely on India.

Every 10 October since 2003, national and international institutions and NGOs have rallied together to oppose the use of the death penalty and to remind the world that its abolition is a universal struggle.

Since its launch, the World Day has seen hundreds of initiatives organised in more than 60 countries across five continents. These have included debates, concerts, press conferences, demonstrations, petitions, and educational and cultural activities.

To date, 137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Sixty countries retain and use the death penalty, most often as a punishment for people convicted of murder. At least 1,252 people were known to be executed in 24 countries during 2007. The true figure was certainly higher. Of those known executions in 2007, 88 percent took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA.

Asia still leads the world in executions. Twenty seven countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice in the Asia Pacific region. The Philippines and Cook Islands are the latest countries in the region to have abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

In India, at least 100 people were sentenced to death in 2007 although no executions took place. Apart from one execution in 2004, there have been no executions in the country in the past ten years. In 2008 there were at least two commutations.

The death penalty is mandatory in India, including for drug-related offences. Despite a 1980 Supreme Court ruling that the death penalty should be used only in the "rarest of rare" cases, there are grave concerns about arbitrariness and discrimination in the processes that lead to people being sentenced to death.

Poorer defendants often have inadequate legal representation. Concerns about legal representation in capital cases include lawyers ignoring key facts of mental incompetence, omitting to provide any arguments on sentencing, or failing to dispute claims that the accused was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime despite evidence to the contrary.

Death sentences have been imposed on people who may have been children at the time of the crime, and on people suffering from mental illness. Also there are concerns about the fact that India has expanded the scope of the death penalty under a number of special laws adopted after India's accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1979.

Prisoners sentenced to death may wait many years while their cases are in full review. The government of India does not disclose how many people have been executed and how many are awaiting execution today. Executions in India are carried out by hanging. Over the last two decades, India has reduced the number of executions carried out.

Amnesty International and the WCADP believe that there is a momentum now to push the Asia region further towards abolition. The focus on Asia will also support Amnesty International's campaign "Countdown to a death penalty free world" as some of the selected target countries for the World Day 08 are part of AI's campaign on the death penalty.

Amnesty International therefore calls on the government of India to immediately establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty as provided by UN General Assembly resolution 62/149.

India: Repeal shoot on sight orders

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:59:58 +0000

The government of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir should rescind the order issued today to authorize security forces to “shoot on sight” in response to communal clashes in the town of Kishtwar, Doda district, Amnesty International said.

Kishtwar witnessed violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims on 12 August, where at least two people were killed as a result of alleged police firing. It is one of several towns in the state currently under curfew in the wake of protests that have left at least 28 people dead.

“Shoot on sight orders are a clear violation of the right to life and of international standards of law enforcement,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director. “The volatility of the situation in Jammu & Kashmir requires more sensitivity from the authorities, not a shoot on sight order.”

Since the state government announced a proposal to transfer forest land from the state to the Amarnath Shrine Board on 26 May, in order to accommodate the annual Hindu pilgrimage at the Shrine, there have been a series of protests and counter protests that have grown increasingly violent.

More public protests have been announced in the run up to Indian Independence Day on 15 August by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), one of the largest predominantly Muslim political formations in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Indian authorities should conduct investigations and bring to justice police officers, as well as protesters, in a quick, transparent, and fair way in order to cool down sectarian tension,” said Sam Zarifi.

Amnesty International calls on the Government of India to ensure that it protects the right to life in accordance with its responsibilities under international law. This includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a state party, and standards such as the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, which state that firearms should be used only when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.

Background
The government of Jammu and Kashmir reversed the proposed transfer of the disputed forest land on 1 July after ten days of protests in Kashmir. The reversal prompted counter protests during which demonstrators in the Jammu region obstructed traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway, the main land route to the Kashmir region. Members of the Hindu nationalist groups -- including the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) – have been accused of having initiated an economic blockade by stopping traffic in both directions on the highway. The traffic stoppage reportedly led to shortages of essential food in the Kashmir valley and damaged perishable goods shipped out of the valley. Police opened fire on those attempting to block the highway on 6 August, leading to one death in Kathua district.

On 10 August, the central government’s Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, announced that the highway was now open, under the control of security forces. Despite this assurance and a promise of compensation to those whose fresh produce had perished, the APHC called for a march of fruit growers towards Muzaffarabad (capital of the Pakistani-controlled region of Kashmir, known as Azad Kashmir). Senior All Party Hurriyat Conference leader – Sheikh Abdul Aziz – was one of five people killed in the subsequent police firing. News of his death triggered further violence and another 15 deaths have allegedly taken place as a result of police firing in various parts of Kashmir on 12 August.

The region will soon take part in state as well as national elections.

Jaipur bombings condemned

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:52:56 +0000

A series of bombings that took place in the north-western Indian city of Jaipur on Tuesday have been condemned by Amnesty International. The bombs have claimed at least 60 lives so far and injured scores of others, according to media reports.

The organization is dismayed by the fact that the attackers chose to target civilians going about their daily business. This shows contempt for the most fundamental principles of humanity.

Nothing can justify such attacks. Individuals’ right to life must be protected, and the civilian population must not be treated as expendable tools for achieving political or ideological ends.

The Indian government must initiate a prompt and thorough investigation of the attacks. Those suspected of being responsible must be brought to justice in proceedings that meet international standards of fairness, and without the imposition of the death penalty.

India: Time to end the lethal lottery of India’s death penalty system

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:18:06 +0000

(New Delhi): The first major study into India’s legal judgements on death penalty cases has revealed that the system is riddled with fatal flaws and that the only remedy is to abolish the death penalty completely, said the study authors in New Delhi today.

Amnesty International believes that at least 140 people have been sentenced to death in 2006 and 2007. According to the latest available official figures, there were 273 persons on death row as of 31 December 2005. But this figure is likely to be considerably higher today.

The fate of these death row prisoners is ultimately a lottery. In the first comprehensive analysis of around 700 Supreme Court judgements on death penalty cases over more than 50 years, the authors expose a judicial system that has failed to meet international laws and standards relating to the death penalty.

Amnesty International India and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry) have issued the study, Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006.

It is the first to examine the essential unfairness of the death penalty system in India by analysing evidence found in Supreme Court judgments of abuse of law and procedure and of arbitrariness and inconsistency in the investigation, trial, sentencing and appeal stages in capital cases. It demonstrates that:

• the administration of the death penalty in India has not been in the “rarest of rare cases” as claimed in the country

• on the contrary, there is ample evidence to show that the death penalty has been an arbitrary, imprecise and abusive means of dealing with defendants.

Dr V Suresh, President, PUCL (TN & Puducherry) said: “While the death penalty continues to be used in India, there remains a danger that it will be used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, the poor or other disadvantaged groups. There is only one way to ensure such inequalities in the administration of justice do not occur: the complete abolition of the death penalty.”

Amnesty International welcomes the current hiatus of executions in the country. The relative lack of executions in the last decade -- one in 2004 -- illustrates that the people of India are willing to live without the death penalty.

“India stands at a crossroads. It can choose to join the global trend towards a moratorium on the death penalty, as adopted by the UN General Assembly last year. It will also then join 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region which have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.

“Or it can continue to hang death row inmates, when the judicial system that puts them there has been shown by this extensive research to be unfair,” said Mukul Sharma, Amnesty International-India Director.

The full report is available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/ASA20/007/2008 and a summary, at http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/ASA20/006/2008

Background:

The study of the courts highlights some of the main failings as:

Errors in consideration of evidence - most death sentences handed down in India are based on circumstantial evidence alone. In a 1994 Supreme Court appeal, the Court noted sarcastically that the main witness's memory constantly improved. His testimony at the trial three years after the incident was observed to be far more detailed than his confessional statement recorded a few days after.
Inadequate legal representation - concerns included lawyers ignoring key facts of mental incompetence, omitting to provide any arguments on sentencing, or failing to dispute claims that the accused was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime despite evidence to the contrary.
Anti-terrorist legislation - concerns include the broad definition of ‘terrorist acts’, insufficient safeguards on arrest, and provisions allowing for confessions made to police to be admissible as evidence.
Arbitrariness in sentencing - in the same month, different benches of the Supreme Court have treated similar cases differently, with mitigating factors taken into account or disregarded arbitrarily.
In the Bachan Singh judgment of 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty should be used only in the "rarest of rare" cases. More than a quarter of a century later, it is clear that through the failure of the courts and the State authorities to apply consistently the procedures laid down by law and by that judgment, the Court's strictures remain unfulfilled.

A total of 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, having realised executions are unacceptable. In 2007, only 24 countries carried out executions (China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA were the main five perpetrators, accounting for 88 per cent of all known executions). See http://www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty

Thousands lost in Kashmir mass graves

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:28:23 +0000

Hundreds of unidentified graves – believed to contain victims of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other abuses - have been found in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to launch urgent investigations into the mass graves, which are thought to contain the remains of victims of human rights abuses in the context of the armed conflict that has raged in the region since 1989.

The findings appear in the report Facts under Ground, issued on 29 March by the Srinagar-based Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). The report details the existence of multiple graves which, because of their proximity to Pakistan controlled-areas, are in areas not accessible without the specific permission of the security forces. Since 2006, the graves of at least 940 people are reported to have been discovered in 18 villages in Uri district alone.

The Indian army has claimed that those found buried were armed rebels and "foreign militants" killed lawfully in armed encounters with military forces. However, the report recounts testimonies from local villagers saying that most buried were local residents hailing from the state.

The report alleges that more than 8,000 persons have gone missing in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989. The Indian authorities put the figure at less than 4.000, claiming that most of these went to Pakistan to join armed opposition groups.

In 2006, a state police report confirmed the deaths in custody of 331 persons, and also 111 enforced disappearances following detention since 1989.

Unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and torture are violations of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law, set out in treaties to which India is a state party. They also constitute international crimes.

Amnesty International has called on the Indian government to unequivocally condemn enforced disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure that prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into all sites of mass graves in the region are immediately carried out by forensic experts in line with the relevant UN Model Protocol.

All past and current allegations of enforced disappearances must be investigated and, where there is sufficient evidence, anyone suspected of responsibility for such crimes must be prosecuted in fair trial proceedings, with all victims granted full reparations.

Nepal: Amnesty International urges authorities to ensure security as more deaths reported before national elections

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:56:26 +0000

Amnesty International expressed grave concern at the escalation of killings and arrests in Nepal in advance of national elections tomorrow, Thursday, 10 April.

Amnesty International said: "The last two weeks have been marked by growing violence, including attacks by armed groups, intimidation of political candidates and reports that the Young Communist League and others have harassed voters in several districts. Supporters of all major political parties have been involved in a number of street demonstrations leading to, at times, violent confrontations.

"This election is a turning point for Nepal. It is an opportunity to put an end to years of violence and work towards a new kind of political future. We urge the authorities to ensure public safety and security for the elections and call for all parties to abide strictly by the Election Commission code of conduct," said Amnesty International.

Seven Maoist cadres are reported to have been killed by security forces during clashes between rival party supporters in Dang district, and another Maoist cadre was killed in Surkhet district this morning (9 April), again reportedly by security forces.

On 8 April Rishi Prashad Sharma, a candidate for the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) was shot dead by unknown gunmen near the south eastern town of Nepalgunj.

These are the first national elections in Nepal since 1999. Many Nepalese have been looking forward to voting into power a new assembly which they hope will write a new constitution for the country and turn the 240 year old monarchy into a federal republic.

/END

Public Document
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International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org

UN examines human rights in member countries

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:59:20 +0000

All UN member states are facing a rigorous examination of their human rights records. The inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) working group began on Monday.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a new mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council and, over the next four years, it will regularly review the human rights obligations and commitments of all 192 Member States. Governments themselves will carry out this regular and systematic scrutiny.

The new process will address one of the main criticisms of the Council’s predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, which was accused of considering only a small number of countries, and of often avoiding pressing situations for political reasons.

The UPR Working Group will, until 18 April, examine the human rights records of 16 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, India, Indonesia, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia and the UK.

This first session will be followed by two further sessions in 2008, so that 48 countries, selected by drawing lots, will have been scrutinized during the year.

An important feature of the new process is that governments of the countries under examination are expected to carry out a broad consultation among civil society. Amnesty International has lobbied energetically to ensure that all relevant voices are heard.

The organisation has submitted information on 14 of the 16 countries above and its members and supporters are working with civil society within each country to raise awareness of the new process.

Amnesty International said, in a statement issued on Monday, that this first session of the UPR Working Group will be key in setting the standard for future reviews, in terms of process as well as substance.

"Both reviewed and reviewing countries have an important role to play. Amnesty International looks to all member states to step up and help launch the UPR as an effective human rights mechanism," said Martin Macpherson, Director of the organization's International Law and Organisations Programme.