Manipur probe: SC ruling on AFSPA is ‘ray of hope’ for families of hundreds of victims, says Amnesty

Describing the Supreme Court judgment as “positive”, Amnesty International India also said that security personnel accused of such human rights violations should be not be allowed to get away with impunity

One day after the Supreme Court passed its ruling that also called for fresh probe in 1528 cases of alleged fake encounters carried out under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act – AFSPA in short – in Manipur, Amnesty International India has termed it as a “ray of hope” for all such families who had lost their kith and kin in such incidents.

“The Court’s ruling makes it clear that security force personnel accused of human rights violations must not be allowed to get away with impunity. It offers a ray of hope to the families of hundreds of people who were allegedly extra-judicially executed in Manipur over decades,” Arijit Sen, project manager at Amnesty International India, said in a press release issued on Saturday.

WATCH: Excessive Force Can’t Be Used By Army Or Police Even In AFSPA Areas: SC

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Describing the Supreme Court judgment as “positive”, Amnesty International India also said that security personnel accused of such human rights violations should be not be allowed to get away with impunity. “The Court’s ruling makes it clear that security force personnel accused of human rights violations must not be allowed to get away with impunity. “AFSPA anyway violates constitutional rights to life and liberty and shields soldiers from justice. This judgment underlines that no one should be above the law. The government must recognise the import of this ruling and repeal the AFSPA,” Sen said.

The central government must heed to the Supreme Court ruling on the importance of holding security forces accountable for human rights violations, and repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts which grants soldiers virtual immunity from prosecution in civilian courts, Sen, speaking on behalf of Amnesty International India said.

READ | Manipur probe: Indefinite AFSPA is failure of Army, Govt, says SC

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In Imphal, welcoming the SC order, leading human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam said, “We welcome the judgment. But we shall have to wait on what the court decides on our demand for a special investigation team to investigate all the cases.”

“The real sting is yet to come on the nature of investigations on the cases,” Loitongbam, also director of the Imphal-based rights group called Human Rights Alert said.

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