Arakan News Agency
Amnesty International has demanded the Indian government to immediately halt all deportations of Rohingya, recognize them as refugees and treat them with the dignity and protection they deserve under international human rights law.
“We urge the Government of India to uphold its legal obligations under international law and halt all deportations of Rohingya refugees at once. Recent allegations of deportations from the country must be urgently, independently and transparently investigated”, said chair of the board of Amnesty International India, Aakar Patel.
Speaking to Amnesty International on the condition of anonymity, Rohingya refugee based in India said that refugees live in constant fear of being deported. “Even though we hold UNHCR refugee cards, the Indian government treats us like criminals. In the past few months, so many of my relatives and friends have been taken without warning, without explanation and deported to Myanmar… How can the Indian government send us back to a place where death is almost certain?” he asked.
“India has long been a sanctuary for those fleeing persecution. But the Government of India’s recent actions which includes dumping Rohingya refugees at sea and forcefully deporting refugees without following any due procedure, unfortunately betrays this proud tradition. History will remember how the government chose to treat the persecuted when they knocked on our door for safety”, Patel stated.
Amnesty International satted that India’s non-ratification of the UN Refugee Convention cannot be an excuse to force people to conditions of danger, persecution and statelessness. India is still required under the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ in customary international law to refrain from forcing back people to places where they would be at real risk.
Last month, the Indian authorities allegedly deported at least 40 Rohingya refugees, including children and older people, by forcing them off a naval ship in international waters near Myanmar after giving them life jackets. In a separate incident, authorities also forced over 100 Rohingya refugees across the border into Bangladesh.
More than a million Rohingya have fled Rakhine State in western Myanmar in recent years after the Myanmar military launched a genocidal campaign against them in 2017. The separatist Arakan Army launched a military campaign to seize control of the state in November 2023, also targeting them with violence, displacement, and forced conscription. Most of them live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, while others seek to move to other countries in search of better living conditions.
