Giving a befitting reply to comments by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an issue related to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), India has said that violations of the law cannot be condoned under the pretext of human rights.
On Tuesday, Anurag Srivastava, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson said that "We have seen some comments by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an issue relating to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). India is a democratic polity based on the rule of law & an independent judiciary. The framing of laws is obviously a sovereign prerogative".
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"Violations of law, however, cannot be condoned under the pretext of human rights. A more informed view of the matter was expected of a UN body," he added.
Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had said that "vaguely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices."
Bachelet in a statement said that "India has long had a strong civil society, which has been at the forefront of groundbreaking human rights advocacy within the country & globally...But I am concerned that vaguely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices".
She added, "I also urge the authorities to carefully review the FCRA for its compliance with international human rights standards & to release people charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for simply exercising basic human rights that India is obligated to protect".
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