UN human rights body condemns Citizenship Amendment Act

NEW DELHI: The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the “fundamentally discriminatory” Citizenship Amendment Act.

"We are concerned that the new #CitizenshipAmendmentAct is fundamentally discriminatory in nature. Goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcomed, but new law does not extend protection to Muslims, incl. minority sects. #FightRacism #CABProtests,” the UN office tweeted on Friday around 5pm, while also attaching a statement with the Tweet.

The statement.says that the new law “undermines” the commitment to equality before the law enshrined in India's constitution and “India's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to which India is a State party, which prohibit discrimination based on racial, ethnic or religious grounds.”

It adds that while “the goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, this should be done through a robust national asylum system that is premised on the principle of equality and non-discrimination... with no distinction as to race, religion, national origin or other prohibited grounds.”

It also expresses hope that Supreme Court of India "considers carefully the compatibility of the law with India's international human rights obligations.” The statement ends by expressing “concern” at the two deaths from Assam and

Tripura

during protest against the Act, and calls on the authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly, and to abide by international norms and standards on the use of force when responding to protests. “All sides should refrain from resorting to violence,” it adds.