US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 21 called the protests in India a domestic political matter and said Washington would not get involved, while praising the country’s elections.
The remarks contrast with those of the UN human rights office, which questioned the Delhi Police crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party leaders and urged respect for peaceful assembly. India called the UN remarks misplaced and rejected a Special Rapporteur’s report as relying on unnamed submissions.
For New Delhi, Rubio’s stance is helpful at a time when the two countries are finalising a trade agreement, with only a small number of items unresolved. For critics, it shows that trade and energy interests can shape what governments say in public.
These are positions of governments and officials, and the court cases over the protests continue in Delhi.
The Wire adds that Rubio described such public expression as a sign of political discourse and differences of opinion, and contrasted it with Cuba. This detail is from a single report.
The remarks came after the United Nations human rights office questioned the Delhi Police crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party leaders and urged India to respect the right to peaceful assembly, according to India TV.
Special Rapporteur Gina Romero’s report said young people in India face retaliation and stigmatisation for discussing issues such as mental health or gender justice, according to the same report.
India called the United Nations remarks misplaced and said reasonable restrictions remain in place even though people can protest freely, according to India TV.
India rejected the Special Rapporteur’s report, saying it relied on unnamed submissions cited in a footnote, according to the same report.
The Statesman’s headline says Rubio called the term UN experts an oxymoron. The full exchange behind that remark was not available in the reports reviewed.
Rubio’s visit aims to strengthen ties in energy, trade and investment, defence and critical technologies, according to India TV.
Gateway of India, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0