Original video here.
Text of speech on human rights violations in India by Janet Rice, Australian Greens Senator, in the Australian Federal Parliament on 23 February 2021:
“So, as well as human rights in Australia, we call for action by governments all around the world to protect human rights wherever attacks on human rights occur. Sadly, I want to start in India, where the government is increasingly undermining human rights. In its 2020 report, Freedom House said: The Indian government has taken its Hindu nationalist agenda to a new level with a succession of policies that abrogate the rights of different segments of its Muslim population, threatening the democratic future of a country long seen as a potential bulwark of freedom in Asia and the world. Concerningly, these steps by the Indian government will have implications and do have implications for the sustainability of democracy. Freedom House said: … the BJP has distanced itself from the country’s founding commitment to pluralism and individual rights, without which democracy cannot long survive. Sadly, we’ve seen that shift towards nationalism and a willingness to undermine human rights play out in multiple areas. We’re particularly concerned that Amnesty International India was forced to close its offices. I have spoken previously about our concerns for the farmers protesting for their rights and the need to protect them from corporations exploiting small farmers. We affirm our solidarity with those farmers and their right to protest. I also want to particularly mention the case of Disha Ravi, a young activist who was recently detained, which reflects a worrying pattern of attacking environmental activists. I’m calling for the Indian government to ensure that she has the full protection of the law and is not persecuted simply because the government is sensitive about her environmental activism.”
Via The Humanism Project (Australia)
The World Is Watching India 