Arbitrary arrest
/ Release /
Obstacles to
freedom of movement
India
December 22,
2017
The
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, requests your urgent
intervention in the following situation in India.
Brief description of the
information:

The
Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about obstacles to freedom of
movement and
subsequent deportation of Mr. Mukunda Raj
Kattel, Director of the Regional Secretariat of the Asian
Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia)[1],
based in Bangkok, Thailand.
According
to the information received, on December 20, 2017, around 12am, Mr. Mukunda Raj
Kattel was detained
by the immigration department upon his arrival at Trichirapalli International Airport,
Tamil Nadu State, India. No reason was given for his detention.
Mr. Mukunda Raj Kattel was travelling to
India to visit friends during his Christmas holidays, including Mr. Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director of
People’s Watch, member of OMCT’s Executive Committee and former Chairperson of
Forum-Asia. It is worth mentioning that as a Nepali citizen, Mr. Kattel does not require a visa to
enter India.
Mr.
Kattel was subsequently informed that he would
be deported back to Thailand. During his detention, he was not allowed to meet
with a lawyer.
At around 10.30pm on
December 20, 2017, Mr. Mukunda Raj Kattel was deported back to Thailand
via Malaysia after being detained for more than 18 hours by the immigration department
at Trichirapalli International Airport.
The Observatory strongly
condemns Mr. Mukunda Kattel’s arbitrary arrest and subsequent
deportation, which seems to only aim at sanctioning his legitimate human rights
activities in the region, and calls upon the Indian
authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the freedoms of movement,
peaceful assembly and association of all human
rights defenders in India.
Please write to the authorities in India, urging them to:
i. Guarantee,
in all circumstances, the freedom of movement of Mr. Mukunda Raj Kattel and of all human rights
defenders in India;
ii. Put an
end to any harassment against all human rights defenders in India, and ensure
in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate
activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals;
iii.
Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,
adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in
particular with Articles 1, 5(b) and 12.2;
iv.
Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
in accordance with international human rights standards and international
instruments ratified by India.
Addresses:
· Mr. Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi, Prime Minister of India, Fax: +
91 11 2301 6857. E-mail: pmosb@pmo.nic.in / manmo@sansad.in
· Mr. Raj Nath Singh, Union Minister of Home Affairs of India, Fax:
+91 11 2309 2979. Email: dirfcra-mha@gov.in
· Mr. Rajiv Gauba,
Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs of India, Email: hshso@nic.in
· Justice Dipak Misra, Chief
Justice of India, Supreme Court, of India, Fax: +91 11 233 83792, Email: supremecourt@nic.in
· Justice Shri H.L. Dattu,
Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India, Fax +91 11 2465
1329. Email: chairnhrc@nic.in
· Mr. Srinivasa Kammath,
Focal Point on Human Rights Defenders, National Human Rights Commission of
India, Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in
· H.E. Mr. Rajiv Kumar Chander, Ambassador,
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Fax:
+41 22 906 86 96, Email: mission.india@ties.itu.int
· H.E. Mr. Manjeev Singh Puri, Embassy of India to the European
Union, Belgium and Luxembourg in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 6489638 / +32 2
6451869
Please also write to the diplomatic mission or embassy
of India located in your country.
***
Geneva-Paris,
December 22, 2017
Kindly
inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your
reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World
Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme
is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights
defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the
European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international
civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency
line:
• E-mail:
Appeals@fidh-omct.org
• Tel and
fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
[1] FORUM-ASIA
is a network of 58 NGOs in 19 countries across Asia. It works to promote and
protect human rights, including the right to development, through collaboration
and cooperation among human rights organisations and defenders in Asia and
beyond. It was founded in 1991 in Manila, the Philippines. Its Regional
Secretariat was established in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1992. Since then, offices
have been opened in Geneva, Jakarta, and Kathmandu.
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