Concern over excessive force: UN seeks restraint

Responding Wednesday in Delhi to a question on the protests at Jamia Millia Islamia, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, said: “We very much call for restraint and urge full respect for the rights of freedom of opinion and expression and peaceful assembly.”

Citizenship Amendment Act, CAB protests, CAA protests, What is CAA, UN on citizenship act, Indian Express, Indian Express Explained

On the CAA, the spokespeson said he would refer to the “very strong words” from Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, who had said last week that it was “fundamentally discriminatory in nature” and would “undermine the commitment to equality”.

ADDING TO the diplomatic fallout of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the violence and “alleged use of excessive force” during protests against the new law.

Responding Wednesday in Delhi to a question on the protests at Jamia Millia Islamia, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, said: “We very much call for restraint and urge full respect for the rights of freedom of opinion and expression and peaceful assembly.”

The latest UN reaction comes a day after Washington asked Indian authorities to “protect and respect the right of peaceful assembly”, four days after it urged India to “protect the rights of its religious minorities” in keeping with its “Constitution and democratic values”.

Shubhajit Roy

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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