WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2023) US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should press each other on human rights failures of their governments during a meeting in Washington this week, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
In a statement marking the beginning of Modi's visit to the US, the prominent international rights group accused him of overseeing a "period of rapid deterioration of human rights protections in India," citing an alleged rise in violence against religious minorities and a purported crackdown on civil society and dissent.
Biden's tenure, in turn, has seen what Amnesty International says include a backslide on reproductive rights and increases in anti-LGBTQI+ attacks at the state level. The group also pointed to "structural racism and socio-economic injustice."
"Biden and Modi must hold each other to account for their human rights commitments, rather than sweep human rights issues in their respective countries under the rug," Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, was quoted as saying in the statement.
The rights group recalled that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a 2023 report recommended for the fourth year in a row that India be added to a blacklist. Biden should highlight the issue as a great concern of his administration and urge Modi to investigate all crimes against religious groups, Amanda Klasing of Amnesty International USA said.
Biden should also call for an end to the Modi government's "abuse of laws to target civil society and free speech," Patel stated.
The Indian prime minister, meanwhile, must use his meeting with the US Congress to press for access to abortion and ratification of conventions the US has signed, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention of the Rights of the Child, according to the rights group.
On Tuesday, Modi begins his first official state visit to the US. On June 21, he will lead International Day of Yoga celebrations at the UN headquarters. On June 22, he will meet with President Biden and address the Congress. The following day, the Indian prime minister will attend a luncheon hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Modi is also expected to meet with chief executives of leading companies.
