- India has rejected all recommendations on the review and repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) made to it by peer nations during its Second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Human Rights conducted in September this year.
ABOUT UPR:
- UPR is the formal UN mechanism held every four years to monitor human rights situation in all countries.
- It’s a process whereby other nations act as peers to review the status of rights in a particular country.
INDIA’S UPR:
- India’s first UPR was held in 2008.
- During the second one held in Geneva, peers gave a set of 168 recommendations to the Government of India on a range of issues.
- The government has accepted 67 of that and rejected the ones related to AFSPA and ratification of the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances-a matter which is critical given the recent discovery of unmarked graves in Jammu and Kashmir.
SUGGESTIONS ON AFPSA:
- Review AFSPA to align it with your obligations under the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights
- Repeal AFSPA or adopt negotiated amendments to it that would address the accountability of security personnel
- Carry out an annual review of the 1958 AFSPA aiming to gradually reduce its geographic scope
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