International Bodies Express Concern over Citizenship Amendment Act

Guwahati, December 17, 2019:

The United States has expressed concern about the implications of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in India.

Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, in a tweet stated, “One of India's great strengths is its Constitution. As a fellow democracy, we respect India's institutions but are concerned about the implications of the CAB bill. We hope the government will abide by its constitutional commitments, including on religious freedom.”

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The top American diplomat responsible for monitoring international religious freedom has made the statement ahead of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between India and the US.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are scheduled to arrive at Washington DC next week for the second 2+2 talks with their American counterparts -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper -- on December 18.

Meanwhile, Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch expressed concern on Thursday over the human rights situation in Kashmir and Assam at the Congressional briefing organized by the Indian American Muslim Council, Emgage Action and the Hindus for Human Rights.

On the other hand, the Human Rights office at the United Nations has expressed concern over the new law saying that it is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature”.

The statement of the UN Human Rights came through a press briefing where it stated, “We understand the new law will be reviewed by the Supreme Court of India and hope it will consider carefully the compatibility of the law with India's international human rights obligations.”

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