Indo-Asian News Service
Washington, March 7 (IANS) The US says India
generally respects the rights of its citizens
but there are "numerous serious problems"
in the country such as extra-judicial killings,
disappearances, torture and rape by security
forces.
"While the civilian authorities generally
maintained effective control of the security
forces, there were frequent instances in which
some elements acted independently of government
authority," said the State Department's
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
released here Tuesday.
Unusually, the Congressionally mandated annual
report card of 196 countries acknowledged that
the US, too, had fallen short of international
standards in its handling of terrorist suspects.
"Our democratic system of government is
not infallible, but it is accountable,"
it said.
Barry Lowenkron, the assistant secretary of
state for democracy, human rights and labour
matters, admitted "that we are issuing
this report at a time when our own record, and
actions we have taken to respond to the terrorist
attacks against us, have been questioned. We
will continue to respond to the concerns of
others".
Amnesty International welcomed Washington's
new candour but its executive director for the
US, Larry Cox, said: "Until the US changes
its own policies of holding detainees indefinitely,
in secret prisons and without basic rights,
it cannot credibly be viewed as a world human
rights leader."
Suggesting that US foreign policy hinders
human rights work around the world, he said
that if the Bush administration persists in
allowing other considerations to trump rights
concerns, the real-world impact of these reports
will be greatly diminished.
"There are many countries listed in these
reports that have questionable human rights
records, including Turkey, India, Ethiopia and
Saudi Arabia," said Cox.
With the release of this year's reports, Americans
are "recommitting ourselves to stand with
those courageous men and women who struggle
for their freedom and their rights", Secretary
of State Condoleeza Rice said.
"And we are recommitting ourselves to
call every government to account that still
treats the basic rights of its
citizens as options rather than, in President
Bush's words, the non-negotiable demands of
human dignity," she said.
In the case of India, the State Department
report noted that it is a longstanding and stable
multiparty, federal, parliamentary democracy
with a bicameral parliament and a population
of approximately 1.1 billion.
Manmohan Singh, it noted, was named prime
minister following his Congress party-led coalition's
victory in the 2004 general elections, which
were considered free and fair, despite scattered
episodes of violence.
But the report said serious internal conflicts
affected the state of Jammu and Kashmir as well
as several states in the northeast. The Maoist
conflict affected Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
West Bengal and eastern Maharashtra.
The lack of accountability permeated the government
and security forces, creating an atmosphere
in which rights violations often went unpunished.
Though the country has numerous laws protecting
human rights, enforcement was lax and convictions
were rare, it said.
Poor prison conditions, lengthy pre-trial
detention without charge, and prolonged detentions
while undergoing trial remained significant
problems.
Government officials used special anti-terrorism
legislation to justify the excessive use of
force while combating terrorism and active,
violent insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir and
several northeastern states, the report said.
Security officials who committed human rights
abuses generally enjoyed de facto impunity,
although there were investigations into individual
abuse cases as well as punishment of some perpetrators
by the court system.
Corruption was endemic in the government and
police forces and the government made little
attempt to combat the problem, except for a
few instances highlighted by the media, it said.
The government continued to apply restrictions
to the travel and activities of visiting experts
and scholars, the report said.
Attacks against religious minorities and the
promulgation of anti-religious conversion laws
were concerns. Social acceptance of caste-based
discrimination remained a problem, and for many,
validated human rights violations against persons
belonging to lower castes.
Domestic violence and abuses against women
such as dowry-related deaths, honour crimes,
female infanticide and feticide, and trafficking
in persons remained significant problems. Exploitation
of indentured, bonded and child labour were
ongoing problems.
Separatist guerrillas and terrorists in Kashmir,
the northeast, and the Maoist belt committed
numerous serious abuses, including killing armed
forces personnel, police, government officials,
judges and civilians.
Insurgents also engaged in widespread torture,
rape and other forms of violence, including
beheadings, kidnapping and extortion.
In June 2005 the government passed the Right
to Information Act (RTI), mandating stringent
penalties for failure to provide information
or affecting its flow, and requiring agencies
to self-reveal sensitive information. The implementation
of the act marked a departure from the culture
of secrecy that traditionally surrounded the
government's rule making, the report said.
