At the end of October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the red carpet for German chancellor Olaf Scholz. While enjoying the opulent displays of grandeur in New Delhi, Scholz could hardly have imagined that less than two months later, he would lose a confidence vote in the German parliament and face elections in February.
Despite the chaos at the heart of the Union, one thing remains at an unchanging standstill, the European Union-India Human Rights Dialogue.
As two huge democracies, both sides have committed, at least in theory, to basing their expanding relationship on a shared commitment to human rights and the rule of law, pledging to enter into an annual Human Rights Dialogue. The only commitment, however, the Indian government seems to keep is a failure to discuss its human rights record, once again cancelling this year’s dialogue just one day before talks were set to begin in New Delhi.
The government has so far failed to give a compelling reason for the cancellation; the only nugget civil society received was their unhappiness with certain aspects of a joint press release.
Also read: In Final Report, UN Human Rights Committee Notes Concerns Over Minority Discrimination in India
India’s continued refusal to discuss human rights, even behind closed doors, is unsurprising; the government has a long history of ignoring human rights criticism, previously pausing the dialogue with the EU for eight years between 2013 and 2021.
Whilst India itself is in a rather strong position to publicly criticise Europe’s lagging protection of minorities, particularly the Roma communities, foreign minister S. Jaishankar chooses to ignore the universal application of human rights, instead bargaining silence for silence and business for business.
Whilst the EU-India Strategic Partnership comes to an end next year, and both parties are seeking to establish a Free Trade Agreement and Digital Partnership, the European Commission has failed to enact the parliament’s decision that they must ‘effectively enshrine human rights and democratic values at the heart of the EU’s engagement with India’.
The EU and member states continue to cosy-up to the Modi regime; Modi backed oligarch Gautam Adani recently hosted the EU, Belgian, German and Danish ambassadors in his native Gujarat, before he was indicted by the US government.
Prime Minister Modi has yet to visit the northeastern state of Manipur, where a violent ethno-religious conflict continues to rage, with no end in sight. The European Parliament discussed the conflict before their Indian counterparts, passing an urgency resolution which has been ignored by the government of India who continue to use internet shutdowns and curfews in the state.
Women and children are attacked regularly by militia forces; an ethnic minority woman was raped and burnt alive by perpetrators as part of ongoing campaign against civilians.
Still, the Indian government has failed to introduce an independent, transparent and open inquiry into the conflict.
The government continues to use draconian legislation, such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act ((UAPA) against protesting students, activists and human rights defenders. Freedom of expression and media freedoms are suppressed, while BJP members, including the prime minister, openly use hate speech to dehumanise minority groups, inciting violence against them.
Also read: 110 Out of 173 Modi’s Speeches Since Poll Code in March Had Islamophobic Remarks: Human Rights Watch
Freedom of religious belief, enshrined in the Indian constitution, has been eroded by the Modi regime through discriminatory legislation such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and the impunity given to militia groups who openly commit atrocities against religious minorities.
Despite India’s failing human rights standards and fall to an elected autocracy, Scholz assured the Modi regime that he would ‘strongly favour an ambitious free trade agreement between India and the European Union.’ In doing so, the chancellor also seemingly ignored the European Commission’s impact assessment on a potential free trade agreement, which found that it could not be introduced in full due to ‘serious pre-existing vulnerability regarding multiple issues related to human and labour rights’, including the rights of religious minorities, Dalits, and evidence of child labour.
Civil society organisations continue to raise concerns that a deviation from the central values of democracy, the rule of law and a shared respect for human rights in the EU-India relationship will set yet another dangerous precedent where geopolitical strategic interest and economic partnerships are paramount.
Ignoring the parliamentary mandate, which represents the interests of 449 million people, the Treaty of the European Union, and failing to centre the EU-India relationship on human rights is tantamount to dereliction of duty. This neglect affects not only the people of Europe but also countless minority groups, women, and children in India, who will suffer as a result of an expanded partnership that disregards their human rights.
Before expanding the EU-India relationship, the regions must discuss India’s human rights record, including the ongoing conflict in Manipur, the erosion of freedom of religious belief, the suppression of civil society, including human rights defenders and journalists, and the use of hate speech by the BJP government.
Aisling Lynch-Kelly is an Advocacy and Communications Officer at The London Story, an Indian-diaspora led organisation that focuses on human and digital rights in India and the Indian diaspora.
Dr Ritumbra Manuvie is the Executive Director of The London Story and an Assistant Professor at University College Groningen, specialising in law, politics and public policy.
