Rubio Calls India Protests Internal Political Matter

US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday declined to comment on protests by Opposition parties and student groups in India, describing them as an internal political matter, even as UN human rights experts criticised the police response to demonstrations.

Responding to questions from American journalists during his visit to India, Rubio said, "No, it's a domestic political matter. I mean, I'm not going to get involved in their politics. It's a democracy. They have elections here. So I''m not going to opine on their domestic political matters. We have protests every day in the US. I'm not talking about Europe where they are vandalising and burning down buildings.'

He added, "But in many ways, the fact that there are people out there expressing themselves--and I'm not talking about India and any other country--it's a sign that this is a country where there is a political discourse and differences of opinion. ... We're not going to comment on internal political matters, that's for the Indian people to decide and navigate."

His remarks came a day after UN experts in Geneva expressed alarm over the treatment of protesters.

In a statement issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the experts said they were "Alarmed by a repeatedly heavy-handed police response to peaceful youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi and other parts of the country over the past three months".

They called on Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and ensure justice for alleged human rights violations.

“This crackdown reflects a broader, troubling pattern,” the experts said, adding, “We have repeatedly alerted the Indian authorities to undue restrictions on peaceful assembly, excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of student activists, amongst others.”

“Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students, including lathi charges and have prevented thousands from joining the protests,” they said.

"Reportedly, over 7,000 youths, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and members of political parties were recently arbitrarily detained in New Delhi and sent to remote detention centres where their phones were allegedly seized and all protest-related material deleted. Most were released 24 hours later, including protest leaders," the experts said.

“These actions violate India’s core international legal obligations, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, liberty, security of the person, and the right to defend human rights” the experts said.

They added, “We call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions.”

The UN experts called for an "independent, impartial, and thorough investigation into the conduct of law enforcement and affiliated forces to be launched without delay to ensure full accountability, justice, and victims’ reparations".

“The Government must guarantee non-recurrence and uphold the democratic right of students and others to assemble and express grievances,” they said.

“Particular attention must be paid to the gender-specific impact of restrictions on peaceful assembly and reprisals against protesters,” the OHCHR statement added, citing the experts.