India on Friday joined the European Union to “recognise” the “important role” of national human rights institutions, civil society actors and journalists as the two sides exchanged “concerns” over freedom of expression and “opinion online and offline”. The two sides held the 10th India-EU Human Rights Dialogue in New Delhi and reiterated mutual commitment to the universal human rights and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) that will come up at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva later this year.
“They both concurred on the importance of safeguarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors, including human rights defenders and journalists and respecting of association and peaceful assembly,” stated a joint press release issued after the talks. The discussion shows India’s diplomatic will to sustain dialogue on human rights with the EU despite recent rights-related controversies that have brought international focus on New Delhi’s obligation to universal human rights.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had hit back after the arrest of human rights defender Teesta Setalvad was criticised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The MEA had responded in a similar manner asserting that the arrest of online fact checker and journalist Mohammed Zubair was a “domestic issue” after the German Foreign Ministry said they were “closely” following the case .
India’s strong pushback
Despite India’s strong pushback in a series of high-profile human rights related cases, there is little doubt that the rights issue will remain an important part of India’s diplomacy with the western countries, especially as India’s Universal Periodic Review is expected to take place in November at the HRC. The UPR is a unique process under which the human rights record of a country is subjected to review and comments from other member-countries and significant diplomatic activity is generated usually around the time of UPR. The UPR of India is generally a special occasion as India is one of the original supporters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was “proclaimed” by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
The issue was taken up during Friday’s discussion as both sides “reiterated their commitment to multilateralism, including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, and the importance of enhancing cooperation on international fora in the field of human rights.” The next round of India-EU Human Rights Dialogue will take place next year.
Friday’s dialogue was conducted on the EU’s side by the Ambassador of the European Union to India, Ugo Astuto, and the Joint Secretary for Europe West (EW) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sandeep Chakravorty.
