CIVICUS joined 11 human rights organisations in a joint letter urging the European Union (EU) to take action on human rights concerns in India, ahead of the College of Commissioners visit to India.
The signatories raised their concerns about the escalation of crackdown on peaceful dissent, press freedom, civil society and religious minorities by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over the last decade.
Indian authorities continue to arbitrarily detain human rights defenders and severely restrict civic freedoms, civil society and dissenting voices. They are using a range of counterterrorism, foreign funding and anti-money laundering laws, including the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA).
Despite the grave abuses and worrying authoritarian repressions, the EU has yet to publicly express concerns over the human rights crisis in India. Concerns are allegedly raised privately, including most recently during the local bilateral human rights dialogue in Delhi in January 2025, followed by a vaguely worded joint press release foregrounding “shared commitments and values”.
The EU must insist that progress on bilateral relations is contingent on concrete and measurable progress on human rights issues. The planned Strategic EU-India Agenda must be designed accordingly putting human rights remain at the very heart of the cooperation.
We call on the visiting College of Commissioners ahead to urge the Indian authorities to take necessary steps in improving human rights situation in India including the release imprisoned human rights defenders and to review restrictive legislations.
