New Delhi: Amnesty International has criticised India’s decision to abstain on a crucial UN Human Rights Council vote on Sri Lanka, saying it is an abdication of its human rights responsibilities and unbecoming of an emerging democracy.
India was one of 12 countries that abstained from a vote to task the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate allegations of abuses and crimes committed by all sides of the brutal conflict in Sri Lanka.
“It is a shame that India has put narrow conceptions of ‘national interest’ over the human rights of people in Sri Lanka,” programmes director at Amnesty International India Shashikumar Velath said in a statement.
“As an emerging global player, India’s new power brings with it new human rights responsibilities. India must stand not with the government of Sri Lanka, but its people who have survived human rights abuses.
“By abstaining on this vote, India has turned its back on the opportunity to be a strong voice in support of human rights in the region,” he said.
Mr Velath said that the government has also let down civil society and elected representatives in Sri Lanka, and over 2.5 million people in India, who had called for an international probe.
