A march for human rights in Bangalore, India in 2018 (Amnesty India)


I joined a panel on CNN 18 on Thursday, pushing back against the line that human rights in India should not be a concern for anyone outside the country.

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EA on CNN 18: India’s Tightrope Walk Over Russian War on Ukraine

With the presenter and some of the guests proclaiming that the issue is simply a “Western narrative” and “Western larceny”, I explain that discrimination, violence, and injustice — wherever it occurs, from Washington to London to Beijing to Delhi — should not be brushed aside.

There are serious human rights issues in the US that we should deal with. There are serious human rights issues in India that we should address. We should not use this as a political football or a distraction to say, “Just go look at the other country”.

I also note that the line is, in part, an attempt to divert from the question of India’s position over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The issue is not US v. India over Ukraine. The issue is an ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, with mounting reports of war crimes and killings of civilians.