PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
Criminalisation of dissent in India (15 December 2020)

That this House expresses its profound concern at the growing number of arrests in India of human rights defenders, student leaders, feminist activists, Dalit rights campaigners, trade unionists, Opposition politicians, and writers, artists, lawyers, academics and journalists who are critical of Narendra Modi’s regime; notes that many of these arrests have been made under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which owes its origins to colonial-era repressive legislation; further notes that ruling-party leaders have engaged in what many argue to be incendiary hate speech against religious minorities and democratic dissenters throughout the tenure of the present BJP-led government; further notes that militarised police violence has repeatedly been used against peaceful protesters, including farmers currently protesting controversial privatisation bills; further notes that the recent shutdown of the Indian branch of Amnesty International, the world's leading human rights advocacy group, bears witness to the currently perilous state of Indian democracy; stands in solidarity with those incarcerated for raising their voices against the oppressive anti-minority politics of the current regime; and calls upon the UN, its member states and international governments to hold the Indian Government to account, and to subject its violations of basic democratic principles to international scrutiny.

Sponsored by:
Apsana Begum (Labour)