Journalism of Courage
India Wednesday hit back at Switzerland over remarks on minority protection and safeguarding free expression. Turning the criticism back on Switzerland, Kshitij Tyagi, India’s representative in Geneva, pointed out the issues of “racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia” in the European nation. “India remains ready to help Switzerland to address these concerns,” he said while speaking at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.
He added that Switzerland’s remarks are “surprising, shallow, and ill-informed”.
Tyagi said that Switzerland, which currently holds the HRC presidency, should avoid “wasting the council’s time with narratives that are blatantly forced and do not do justice to the reality of India”.
https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1965798713647116391 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsHe further pointed out that India is “the world’s largest, most diverse and vibrant democracy with a civilisational embrace of pluralism”.
What did Switzerland say?
https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1965779434314883535 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis comes as Switzerland, speaking at HRC, voiced concerns on rights issues across different regions, including India. Swiss diplomat Michael Meier said, “In India, we call on the government to take effective measures to protect minorities and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of media.”
Meier also raised concerns about human rights situations in other countries, including violence during demonstrations in Serbia, abductions of women in Syria, and restrictions on free assembly in Turkiye.
