For years, we have alerted the French authorities to the regime's authoritarian actions and its repeated attacks on public institutions and rival forces (universities, judiciary, media). Many marginalized and minority groups in this country are excluded from society and threatened by hate campaigns. Amnesty International has documented major attacks on the rule of law and the free functioning of institutions in the country.

In India, many national and international human rights associations, including Amnesty International India, have been victims of legal harassment, intimidation and arbitrary closure. Many human rights defenders, journalistlawyers, political opponents, peaceful demonstrators, academics and students, face arbitrary arrest and detention, unfounded prosecutions, illegal digital surveillance and forms of violation of their rights, especially freedom of expression and assembly.

Surveillance: India at the forefront

Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, detained since November 2021, faces new charges as part of a campaign of defamation and harassment against his former colleagues; in April 2023, his detention was declared arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. India also refused to respond to a UN special rapporteur's request for access to its territory, despite India's stated commitment to cooperate fully with the country, particularly during India's nomination as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Another similar case occurred with Umar Khalid and nine BK16 activists who continue to languish in prison without being tried.

France must not remain silent on India's human rights record in the name of economic and geostrategic considerations. The government must condemn these serious violations and demand that India honor its commitments in this area, otherwise this will send a disastrous political signal of normalization and impunity for perpetrators of serious human rights violations committed, encouraged or tolerated by Indian authorities, Indian civil society. must be able to rely on French diplomatic support in defending its rights.

Indian authorities are using anti-terrorism laws and regulations to suppress human rights work carried out by human rights defenders, activists and non-profit organizations in the country, said Aakar Patel, Chair of the Executive Board of Amnesty International India. They use baseless accusations of foreign funding, terrorism, and financial settlements to target, intimidate, harass, and silence critics.