New York: Amnesty International has issued a scathing report this week, condemning New Delhi’s human rights record in occupied Jammu and Kashmir as well as across India, raising serious concerns over India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the report, titled “Why should India’s human rights record matter in its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council?”, outlines India’s failure to meet international human rights obligations in Kashmir. It criticizes India’s dismissal of findings from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which has repeatedly urged the country to honor its commitments under international law. Rather than engaging with the OHCHR reports from 2018 and 2019, Indian authorities labeled them as “false narratives” and accused the human rights body of “legitimizing terrorism.”
The report also highlights India’s repressive legal framework, including the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, which have been used to restrict journalists and enforce blanket bans in the region. Amnesty notes that India’s actions since the unilateral revocation of Article 370 in August 2019—stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and dividing it into two union territories—represent an aggressive dismissal of protests against human rights abuses and a deprivation of fundamental freedoms.
The report goes on to criticize India’s overall engagement with UN bodies, including its record with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Amnesty points out that India has faced 25 statements from UN human rights experts since 2019, expressing concern over civil liberties and human rights violations. Additionally, India has not made significant progress on key human rights recommendations, such as ratifying the UN Convention against Torture, despite having signed it in 1997.
The report argues that India’s limited engagement with UN human rights mechanisms, combined with its inadequate responses to UN communications, casts doubt on its suitability for a permanent seat on the UNSC. “For India to be a credible candidate, it must demonstrate a genuine commitment to human rights standards,” the report concluded, urging India to address these concerns if it seeks a leadership role in international peace and security.