{"id":36708,"date":"2023-12-17T22:43:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T22:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/us-body-calls-out-india-on-religious-freedom-violations\/"},"modified":"2023-12-17T22:43:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T22:43:08","slug":"us-body-calls-out-india-on-religious-freedom-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/us-body-calls-out-india-on-religious-freedom-violations\/","title":{"rendered":"US body calls out India on \u2018religious freedom violations\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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WASHINGTON: The United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), alarmed by what it describes as India\u2019s systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion, has once again urged the Biden administration to designate India a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern\u201d (CPC).<\/p>\n

The commission, an independent federal government commission, has recommended each year since 2020 that the US Department of State designate India as a CPC, most recently in its 2023 Annual Report.<\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> released on Friday USCIRF also expressed deep concern over India\u2019s purported increase in transnational targeting of religious minorities and their advocates, including journalists and lawyers. \u201cUSCIRF implores the US Department of State to designate India a CPC,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Indian government\u2019s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India\u2019s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad,\u201d said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck.<\/p>\n

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Commission alarmed by reported rise in transnational persecution of minorities by Delhi<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe call on the Biden administration to acknowledge the Indian government\u2019s perpetration of particularly severe religious freedom violations and designate it as a country of particular concern,\u201d he further added.<\/p>\n

USCIRF also published an issue update on India\u2019s state-level anti-conversion laws, providing further context on India\u2019s use of these laws to target religious minorities. In September 2023, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in India and how the US government can work with the Indian government to address violations.<\/p>\n

The commission sees cross-border attacks on Indian dissidents as a severe escalation of efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its borders and beyond.<\/p>\n

USCIRF noted that transnational repression, defined as the use of intimidation, harassment, or violence against individuals living outside a state\u2019s borders, has become a growing concern. It pointed out that India\u2019s tactics include not only intimidation and harassment but also, as illustrated by recent events, assassination attempts.<\/p>\n

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