Canada's Disappointing Silence: Failure to Confront Human Rights Abuses in India at the G20 Summit
September 12th, 2023
Justice For All Canada expresses deep disappointment at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's failure to address India’s ongoing human rights violations against religious, ethnic and Indigenous minorities and other vulnerable groups during last week’s G20 summit. Hosted by India’s right-wing nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the summit took place from September 9th to 10th in New Delhi.
While we commend Prime Minister Trudeau’s defence of Sikh protests in Canada, he missed a crucial opportunity to raise the glaring issues of minority rights and persecution, women's rights, and press freedoms in India. Similarly, recent statements and press releases from Global Affairs Canada have largely avoided addressing India's human rights record and the rise of far-right Hindu nationalism (known as “Hindutva”) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Unlike our allies, Canada’s G20 approach neglects concerns about religious freedom and civil liberties, particularly for India's minorities. For example, in June 2023 over 70 US Senate members and House of Representatives signed a letter calling on the Biden administration to address human rights concerns with Modi, citing “shrinking political space, religious intolerance, targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access in India.” US President Joe Biden reiterated these concerns at the G20 when he raised issues of human rights and the importance of a free press with Modi while in Vietnam.
On the other hand, Canadian activists nationwide are shocked that Prime Minister Trudeau did not demonstrate a stronger stance at the G20 against documented abuses and impunities perpetrated by the BJP government and their Hindu extremist supporters violently targeting Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs, including women and girls.
“We demand that Justin Trudeau calls on Modi to govern equally for all Indians, regardless of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and to take immediate, effective measures against extremism,” expressed Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “The BJP’s expanding campaign of hate speech and impunity endangers all Indian citizens who don’t share majoritarian beliefs, threatening the very foundations of India's future as an economically viable, democratic, and prosperous country,” he added.
Recent Atrocities in India
According to experts, increasing violence and polarization in India is connected to the rise of extremist ideological groups, particularly those associated with Hindutva. Hindutva is an ultranationalist ideology propagated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India, which is also the parent wing of the ruling BJP. Historically, the RSS has drawn inspiration from elements of Nazi ideology. These ideologies are also finding a foothold in Canada and the US.
Recently in Manipur state, rape has been used as a weapon against minority women in a brutal civil conflict between Meitei and Kuki tribes (a Christian minority). The conflict has resulted in around 180 deaths, with women facing horrific violence. In May 2023, two women in Manipur were publicly stripped and subjected to unspeakable violence by a mob. The brutality was even captured on camera, underscoring the urgent need for international attention and intervention. According to Indian human rights experts, Modi’s BJP government has failed to seriously address the violence or broader underlying issues of migration and ethnic tensions in the region.
Human rights groups including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have accused Kashmir’s BJP-run regional administration of targeting local Kashmiri community leaders, journalists and human rights activists using enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary detention for their activism and dissent.
Reiterating Demands to the Canadian Government
As a global defender of persecuted and voiceless peoples, the Canadian government has yet again shown its lack of stance on minorities in India who continue to face discrimination and violence. The particular targeting of Christian, Dalit, and Muslim women in India and the BJP state’s failure to respond appropriately empowers extremist groups who target these communities.
Justice For All Canada has previously advocated that trade negotiations with India should only proceed with the condition of substantial improvement in the country's human rights situation. The Indo-Pacific Trade Agreement should be contingent on demonstrable progress in protecting the equality and well-being of India’s minorities. The Canadian government's decision to "pause" trade talks, without clear reasons provided, remains insufficient in light of the ongoing violations.
Justice For All Canada expresses deep disappointment at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's failure to address India’s ongoing human rights violations against religious, ethnic and Indigenous minorities and other vulnerable groups during last week’s G20 summit. Hosted by India’s right-wing nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the summit took place from September 9th to 10th in New Delhi.
While we commend Prime Minister Trudeau’s defence of Sikh protests in Canada, he missed a crucial opportunity to raise the glaring issues of minority rights and persecution, women's rights, and press freedoms in India. Similarly, recent statements and press releases from Global Affairs Canada have largely avoided addressing India's human rights record and the rise of far-right Hindu nationalism (known as “Hindutva”) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Unlike our allies, Canada’s G20 approach neglects concerns about religious freedom and civil liberties, particularly for India's minorities. For example, in June 2023 over 70 US Senate members and House of Representatives signed a letter calling on the Biden administration to address human rights concerns with Modi, citing “shrinking political space, religious intolerance, targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access in India.” US President Joe Biden reiterated these concerns at the G20 when he raised issues of human rights and the importance of a free press with Modi while in Vietnam.
On the other hand, Canadian activists nationwide are shocked that Prime Minister Trudeau did not demonstrate a stronger stance at the G20 against documented abuses and impunities perpetrated by the BJP government and their Hindu extremist supporters violently targeting Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs, including women and girls.
“We demand that Justin Trudeau calls on Modi to govern equally for all Indians, regardless of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and to take immediate, effective measures against extremism,” expressed Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “The BJP’s expanding campaign of hate speech and impunity endangers all Indian citizens who don’t share majoritarian beliefs, threatening the very foundations of India's future as an economically viable, democratic, and prosperous country,” he added.
Recent Atrocities in India
According to experts, increasing violence and polarization in India is connected to the rise of extremist ideological groups, particularly those associated with Hindutva. Hindutva is an ultranationalist ideology propagated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India, which is also the parent wing of the ruling BJP. Historically, the RSS has drawn inspiration from elements of Nazi ideology. These ideologies are also finding a foothold in Canada and the US.
Recently in Manipur state, rape has been used as a weapon against minority women in a brutal civil conflict between Meitei and Kuki tribes (a Christian minority). The conflict has resulted in around 180 deaths, with women facing horrific violence. In May 2023, two women in Manipur were publicly stripped and subjected to unspeakable violence by a mob. The brutality was even captured on camera, underscoring the urgent need for international attention and intervention. According to Indian human rights experts, Modi’s BJP government has failed to seriously address the violence or broader underlying issues of migration and ethnic tensions in the region.
Human rights groups including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have accused Kashmir’s BJP-run regional administration of targeting local Kashmiri community leaders, journalists and human rights activists using enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary detention for their activism and dissent.
Reiterating Demands to the Canadian Government
As a global defender of persecuted and voiceless peoples, the Canadian government has yet again shown its lack of stance on minorities in India who continue to face discrimination and violence. The particular targeting of Christian, Dalit, and Muslim women in India and the BJP state’s failure to respond appropriately empowers extremist groups who target these communities.
Justice For All Canada has previously advocated that trade negotiations with India should only proceed with the condition of substantial improvement in the country's human rights situation. The Indo-Pacific Trade Agreement should be contingent on demonstrable progress in protecting the equality and well-being of India’s minorities. The Canadian government's decision to "pause" trade talks, without clear reasons provided, remains insufficient in light of the ongoing violations.
- Indo-Pacific Agreement: Canada should not ignore the BJP’s systematic rights violations in its pursuit of greater cooperation with India, especially in areas like trade deals and weapons sales. The Canadian government should honour its G20 commitments and conditionally tie progress on human rights improvements to trade agreements and other international cooperation with India.
- Minority Bias: Canada should maintain a uniform stance on global human rights towards religious and ethnic minorities, whether in regard to Russia, China or India. Canada must actively support the protection of minority rights in India, particularly for vulnerable communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians,
- Equal Foreign Policy Actions: Canada must implement more concrete actions and policy decisions to address human rights concerns in India. For instance, the Canadian government should collaborate with international partners to address human rights concerns in India through organizations such as the United Nations.
- Transparency and Accountability: Canada should demand transparency and accountability for human rights violations in India, with Canadian leaders publicly expressing concern about these violations and emphasizing their impact on minority communities.