{"id":58601,"date":"2023-06-21T13:42:14","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=58601"},"modified":"2023-06-21T13:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:42:14","slug":"75-members-of-congress-write-to-biden-to-urge-discussion-with-modi-on-indias-human-rights-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=58601","title":{"rendered":"75 Members of Congress Write to Biden to Urge Discussion With Modi on India\u2019s Human Rights Violations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
By<\/span>Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said June 20 it is \u201ccommonplace\u201d for Biden to raise concerns about human rights with counterparts from overseas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"\"
President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Sept. 24, 2021. (White House photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down June 20 morning in New York for the first leg of his 4-day official state visit, 75 members of Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to address India\u2019s alleged record of human rights violations with Modi.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, Sen. Van Hollen and I are leading over 70 of our colleagues in calling on President Biden to address India\u2019s human rights record with PM Modi. We must ensure freedom of the press, religious tolerance, internet access, and the diversity of political thought,\u201d tweeted Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, who \u00a0\u2014 along with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland \u2014 led the bicameral letter. \u201cThe U.S.-India relationship is vital and we must continue to strengthen it by having these forthright conversations,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

The letter was signed by 18 members of the Senate, and 57 members of the House. The four other Indian American members of Congress \u2014 Reps. Ami Bera, D-California; Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois; Shri Thanedar, D-Michigan; and Ro Khanna, D-California, co-chair of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans \u2014\u00a0were not signatories to the letter.<\/p>\n

Rep. Tlaib Boycotts Modi\u2019s Speech<\/h2>\n

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, also did not sign the letter, but tweeted June 20 that she would boycott Modi\u2019s address to a joint session of Congress, which is scheduled for June 22. \u201cIt\u2019s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation\u2019s capital. His long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Last week, several prominent civil rights advocates urged a boycott of all Modi\u2019s public appearances. Modi led a public yoga session June 21 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. He will address Congress the following day and then attend a state dinner hosted by the Bidens that evening.<\/p>\n

On June 23, Modi is scheduled to make several public appearances at forums in Washington DC. Civil rights leaders are planning demonstrations in front of the White House and at each of his public appearances.<\/p>\n

The letter notes that both countries share the values of \u00a0free speech, freedom of the press, and religious freedom, and have embedded those values into their Constitutions.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Religious Intolerance<\/h2>\n

But, noted the writers, \u201cA series of independent, credible reports reflect troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access.<\/p>\n

Jayapal and Van Hollen referenced the State Department\u2019s 2022 Country Report on\u00a0Human Rights Practices in India<\/u><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 released this March \u2014 which documents the tightening of political rights and expression.<\/p>\n

They also referenced the\u00a0International Religious Freedom in India<\/u><\/a>\u00a0report issued by the State Department. \u201c(The report) details the worrisome increase of religious intolerance toward minorities and religiously motivated violence by both private and state actors,\u201d wrote Jayapal and Van Hollen.<\/p>\n

The members of Congress also referenced annual assessments compiled by\u00a0Reporters Without Borders<\/u><\/a>, which \u201cshow that India, a country that has been known in the past for its vibrant and independent press, has fallen significantly in the rankings for press freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

India Important Strategic Partner<\/h2>\n

India now ranks 161 out of 180 on RWB\u2019s global score of press freedom, significantly behind other South Asian countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bangladesh ranks 163 on the index.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the world\u2019s oldest democracy and the world\u2019s largest democracy, the United States and India have forged a close relationship based on strategic interests and shared democratic values,\u201d wrote Jayapal and Van Hollen. \u201cIndia is an important member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the \u201cQuad\u201d) and a crucial partner for stability in the Indo-Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrade and investment between the United States and India continue to grow, and there is an opportunity to greatly expand our economic ties. We welcome India\u2019s potential increased role in supporting secure supply chains for critical sectors such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals,\u201d wrote Jayapal and Van Hollen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs longtime supporters of a strong U.S.-India relationship, we also believe that friends can and should discuss their differences in an honest and forthright way. That is why we respectfully request that \u2014 in addition to the many areas of shared interests between India and the U.S. \u2014 you also raise directly with Prime Minister Modi areas of concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden had not publicly addressed the letter by press time June 20. But at a press briefing that afternoon, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said it is \u201ccommonplace\u201d for Biden to raise concerns about human rights with counterparts from overseas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BySunita Sohrabji Jun 21, 2023 White...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58602,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58601\/revisions\/58602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}