Human Rights Watch urges India not to deport Rohingya Refugees
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged India not to deport the ethnic Rohingya Refugees from India, reports said.
While citing Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju’s statement to Parliament in which he had issued detailed instructions for deportation of illegal foreign nationals including Rohingyas”, HRW said that India should abide by its international legal obligations and should not forcibly return ethnic Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, where they face persecution, without fairly evaluating their claims as refugees.
“India has a long record of helping vulnerable populations fleeing from neighboring countries, including Sri Lankans,
Afghans, and Tibetans,” HRW’s South Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly said. The Rohingya is a Muslim minority predominately from western Myanmar.
“Indian authorities should abide by India’s international legal obligations and not forcibly return any Rohingya to Burma without first fairly evaluating their claims as refugees,” she said. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had also expressed concern about India’s plans to deport Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, underlining that they should not be returned to countries where they fear persecution once they are registered.
KV Correspondent
