India among 12 countries carrying out 'transnational repression': UK parl panel

LONDON: A British parliamentary panel on Wednesday warned that foreign govts are being increasingly bold in attempts to silence and intimidate individuals and communities in the UK.

The 'Transnational Repression in the UK' report by the joint committee on human rights names India among 12 countries against which it had received evidence. There was no immediate comment from India on the report.

The evidence published with the report referencing India relates to Sikhs For Justice, a pro-Khalistan outfit declared an "unlawful association" under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

JCHR, comprising cross-party members of Parliament, is in charge of examining matters relating to human rights within the UK and scrutinising legislation for its compatibility with human rights. Its report claims that the committee received "credible evidence" that several states engaged in acts of such repression on UK soil with a serious impact on those targeted, "instilling fear, limiting their freedom of expression and movement, and undermining their sense of safety". pti

Many states conducted TNR activities on UK soil, says report
The number of state-threat investigations run by MI5, the country's security agency, has grown by 48% since 2022, it claims.

"Our inquiry received evidence alleging that many states had conducted TNR activities on UK soil. Multiple evidence submissions accused Bahrain, China, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates of perpetrating TNR in the UK," reads the report.

JCHR report also claims to have received evidence on the conduct of individual member states alleged to have engaged in "systematic misuse" of Interpol mechanisms. It reads: "We were told that misuse of Interpol Notices was widespread, but that China, Russia, and Turkey were the most prolific abusers of Interpol's Notice system.

"The committee also heard allegations of misuse by Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela."

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