'Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act'

The government should repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958 on the 55th anniversary of the law, said a statement from activists Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Working Group on Human Rights (WGHR) in India and the UN - a coalition of civil society organisations and independent experts, the AFSPA has continued to be an excuse for suppression and impunity.

"The law and the violence and illegality committed under its protection have alienated the people of the north-eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir," said the statement.

The release mentioned that Manipur activist Irom Sharmila, force-fed and forgotten for 13 years has determinedly laid her life on the line for repeal of the law.

"Enough has been said about the negative impact of AFSPA nationally and internationally. It is time for the government to act and halt any further erosion of democratic space in the country," said Babloo Loitongbam, director, Human Rights Alert, Manipur, a constituent of WGHR.

According to the statement, the Supreme Court did uphold constitutionality of the AFSPA in 1997 but warned that prolonged and too frequent deployment of armed forces for handling such situation is likely to generate a feeling of alienation amongst the armed forces.

According to the statement, after his 2012 visit to India, Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, presented a report at the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, in which he concluded, "that retaining a law such as AFSPA runs counter to the principles of democracy and human rights".

"Its repeal will bring domestic law more in line with international standards and send a strong message that the government is committed to respect the right to life of all people in the country," said Heyns.

WGHR convenor and former UN Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari reiterated: "Continued reluctance to repeal AFSPA, in the face of unequivocal demands from a range of credible international human rights and numerous national bodies, indicates a policy paralysis in the government."

--Indo-Asian New Service

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