Diaspora Group Urges India to Unequivocally Condemn US Military Attack in Venezuela
New Delhi: The advocacy group Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy (DAHRD) has urged the Indian government to reaffirm its commitment to international law, peace and solidarity by unequivocally condemning the US military attack in Venezuela.
India broke its silence on the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 4 with a carefully worded statement that expressed “deep concern” but conspicuously avoided naming Washington or condemning the military strikes that seized the Latin American leader.
"India’s half-hearted response to the US military operation in Venezuela raises serious questions about the erosion of its historic moral leadership," the group has said in a statement.
The DAHRD states that its objectives are to investigate human rights violations and abuses, analyse and document governmental and non-governmental action that perpetuates or ignores human rights abuses and violations, and advocate for justice, peace, and collective action against grave human rights violations.
The group said that India has conspicuously avoided naming the US or condemning the military strikes, and that its belated response was "unconvincing" and "half-hearted response."
“The latest event in Venezuela constitutes a new, blatant, and illegal act of aggression against a sovereign state, regardless of one's opinion of the Caracas government. Such a weak response, in the face of bombings and attack on a country’s sovereignty, raises serious questions about India’s willingness to uphold the very principles it has long claimed to defend.” said Ritumbra Manuvie, Co-founder and executive director of DAHRD.
The organisation said that as a founding member of BRICS – a grouping which Venezuela aspires to join – and a leading voice for the Global South, India "occupies a unique moral and political position in today’s international order."
"Global leadership in an era of renewed militarism and unilateral action requires more than diplomatic caution. New Delhi's condemnation of the US aggression in Venezuela is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic necessity for solidarity, credibility and cohesion within the BRICS itself," it said.
The group said that India’s muted response contrasts sharply with the strong international reaction to the US operation on Venezuela. It cited how the Indian government’s response to major international crises, including the war in Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza have been characterised by a refusal to condemn military aggressions.
"India‘s international standing was forged by leaders who were vocal against colonial domination, territorial aggression and violations of sovereignty. Today, that legacy appears increasingly at risk. By avoiding condemning the US attack on Venezuela, the Indian government weakens India's long-standing identity as a defender of peace, sovereignty, and non-intervention," the DAHRD said.
"India must once again assume its historic role, not as a passive observer, but as a global leader capable of condemning aggression wherever it occurs, regardless of the actors involved." it added.
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