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What is Amnesty International ?

Amnesty International referred as Amnesty or AI, is a non-government International Organisation. Amnesty International is one of the world's biggest organisation working for the protection of human rights and escalating their network in more than 150 countries and territories across the globe, with 7 million supporters. AI was found by English Barrister Peter Benenson in July 1961 in the United Kingdom. The organisation commenced with a mission to derive a campaign for '' a world where everyone enjoy their freedom and live with liberty under the declaration of Human Rights". Amnesty basically works to mobilize people to confront their rights and raise voice for their rights against the government. The organisation draws attention towards campaigns that comply with international laws. Amnesty International stands for the act of forgiveness to an individual for any offense, especially against the government. AI is independent of any political ideology, race, religion, or economic interests. After the foundation of the company, Peter Benenson intended to launch an appeal in Britain with the aim of obtaining amnesty for the prisoners of conscience all over the world, with the help of this organisation. Amnesty’s core principle focuses on “prisoner of conscience,” where an individual is “imprisoned” or suppressed from expressing their opinions or ideas by unethical means of violence. The ideals of Amnesty demand human rights for everyone including the convicts or criminals. It strongly opposes capital punishment (death penalty) regardless of the crime committed by the individual or the circumstances surrounding him/her. Their movement has changed lives of numerous people worldwide. Many people were released from imprisonment after their campaigns. Decriminalization of abortion, restricting the recruitment of child soldiers, promoting religious tolerance, protecting LGBTQ rights, protecting the rights of refugees, and decriminalization of prostitution are some major areas where Amnesty aims at. It was prized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “defense of human dignity against torture.” AI has been campaigning and battling against all social and cultural discrimination. “Amnesty International has a reputation of doing great work but at the same time, gives an image of being a hard place to work in. In many interviews and reports, the word ‘toxic’ was highlighted and used to describe Amnesty's work culture. Some of the movements of Amnesty International are:- @Justice In Shri Lanka - victims of human rights violations in Sri Lanka have denied access to justice. @communal violence - justice for survivors of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh. @Access to justice in Jammu & Kashmir - Ending indemnity for human rights abuses. @Gender Based Violence - Standing together to end gender-based violence @Human right education - Empowering people to know and claim their rights. @Individuals at risk - Standing up for the justice of everyone, everywhere. There are many more movements and campaigns Of Amnesty International. The impact is wider and brighter that is somehow responsible for the change in society.

Allegations on Indian Government- “witch hunting”

Amnesty said the Government action to standstill their accounts, came among the organization's report critical of the storms in Delhi and the repeal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Human Rights guard dog Amnesty International said that it is stumbling its operation in India, citing counterattacks from the Government and standstilling their bank accounts. Amnesty International India said in a statement that the organization had set off its staff in India and paused its campaign and research work on Human Rights, claiming that Indian authorities stopped its bank accounts on the intuition of violating rules on foreign funding. Amnesty India's executive director, Avinash Kumar, said the accounts were stopped as a result of the group's "unmistakable calls for transparency in the Government ". The organization listed a sequence of legal assaults by the government of India: To start with, on October 25, 2018, Amnesty faced a 10-hour-long strike by the ED. Most of the data and records that were requested during the were at that point accessible in the public space. At that point, in mid-2019, the Department of Income Tax began sending analytical letters to over 30 little donors, the office didn't discover any abnormalities yet it influenced its process of the fundraising campaign. In June 2019, Amnesty was denied consent to hold the press question and answer session in Srinagar to deliver its third 'Lawless Law' on abuse and maltreatment of public safety act in Jammu & Kashmir, which they were compelled to release on the digital platform. On October 22, 2019, Amnesty affirmed at the US Congressional hearing on the circumstance of common freedoms in South Asia with a particular spotlight on Jammu and Kashmir since the one-sided repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution of India. Fourteen days after this amid bits of tales about looming captures of the association's high ranking representatives, the workplaces of Amnesty and the habitation of one of its chiefs were attacked again by the CBI," the announcement included.

Amnesty reply to the FCRA charges

About FCRA law for complete freezing of Amnesty International’s bank account, the executive director of Amnesty International India, Avinash Kumar, said that the continuous attempts to suppress Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of the bank account of the organization is not unintended. The constant suppression by the government is the result of their strong calls for transparency in the government, more recently for raising voice against the gloomy human rights violation in the North-East Delhi riots and Jammu and Kashmir. In recent years Amnesty International (AI) has been working on five major fields, business and human rights, individuals at risk, gender-based violence, human rights education. Most recently, the organization rose voice for outpouring justice in Jammu & Kashmir and against Delhi Police for buffeting five men brutally. Amnesty said that the BJP government cannot take reproval and targets who speaks out against them or criticizes them and are increasingly harassing and targeting human right defenders and groups that challenge the government’s inappropriate actions. Amnesty added, the accusations on them for violating laws on foreign funding is a politically motivated charge. It said that it had always abided by all the applicable International and Indian laws. Treating human rights organizations like criminal enterprises and individuals raising voice for their rights as criminals without any proper evidence is a deliberate attempt by the government to suppress the voices in India. It violates people’s basic rights like the Right to freedom of speech and expression. A statement from the organization claims that the Indian government continues to impose "harsh and discriminatory restrictions" on Muslim majority areas of J&K, one year after the recantation of the State's special constitutional status. Amnesty International India has requested the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women to build up offices in Jammu & Kashmir as people there had no redressal body to adress their violated rights after the closure of the state commission a year ago. The organization asked the government for the release of political leaders, journalists, and activists from detention, restoration of the 4G network, and to initiate an independent investigation over the cases of attacks on journalists. It also asked NHRC to set up a branch office at the place to ease the process of filing complaints of the local people. Executive Director of Amnesty International India, Mr. Kumar said: Over the last year, the government of India has been hindering all the access for justice for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. With Internet restrictions, frequent curfews in the region, shutting down of local media, and many other stringent laws, the entire population of Kashmir has deprived of their basic rights to freedom of expression of their opinion. The AI has released a video report on the basis of interviews of a handful of J&K journalists and validating "evidence" from news reports, both print and digital, and Right to Information applications, to verify the inept strategy of the government to repress the freedom of press and countenance. Speaking about north-east Delhi riots, AI has demanded an unconventional investigation into all assertions of human rights violations by the Police. Over 200 people were injured and at least 50 were killed in Delhi communal violence after the clash between the groups that are in favor of and are against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The organization has claimed that the Delhi police has not taken adequate actions to prevent the riots. They were only standing and watching the show when violence was brutally spreading. The medical services to the victims were also denied, as rioters unleashed havoc in the city. Also, the NGO collated a 20-page "investigative brief", after interviewing more than 50 riot survivors, lawyers, activists, and retired police officers, who found the comportment of policemen in many incidents during the violence "a cause for concern". The organization further said that most of the riot survivors in police custody were Muslims.

Why delicate balance is need of the hour?

Nongovernmental organizations are an important part of society. As they reach to those people and tribe where the government cannot. Amnesty International is an INGO whose headquarter is located in the United Kingdom. Amnesty International basically works for business and Human Rights, individual at risk, gender-based violence, Human Rights education, and access to justice in Jammu and Kashmir. Amnesty International is again on the swing because their accounts were frozen by the government. Amnesty India took Twitter to convey what's going on and mentioned, "The government froze our account we will not be silenced by the attack of the government". They also stated the continuous repression on Amnesty India for two years is not by chance rather well planned. Amnesty International alleged that it has been forced to stop its operation in India due to retaliation from the government. They have also blamed the Government of India's involvement in a hunt of Human Rights organizations. So that they can be shutdown. Amnesty mentions that their bank accounts have been frozen. Moreover, they are being forced to lay off staff in the country and suspend all its crusade and research work for further projects. Talking about the staff of Amnesty International, they had a total of 150 staff members who will be fired soon. After the freezing of the bank account senior director of research advocacy and policy Rajat Khosla said, "we are facing a rather unprecedented situation in India Amnesty International the invasion of attack bullying and harassment in a very standardized manner by the Government". Amnesty was raided in 2016 August, a case of sedition was filed against MST India over an allegation that anti-India slogans were raised at one of its events then. In October 2018, the office in the southern city of Bangalore was raided by ED, and accounts were frozen then too. Later in the year, the 2019 Amnesty office was raided again by CBI based on a case register by MHA. The ID following the FIR by CBI filed on 5th November 2019 charged with an alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act had initiated a separate probe last year. The ED converted the primary inquiry into an ECIR alleging money laundering charge and froze all amnesty India's bank accounts. This time it has invoked the prevention of money laundering Acts. A precarious equilibrium is very necessary. The government hasn't responded to the comments given by Amnesty's Senior staff. There are various NGOs doing a great job in their respective fields but there are even several NGO who worked against society. There are a large number of NGOs in India who are funded by some outside donors from the UK, Germany, the US and, the Netherlands who are noticed to be using people-centric issues to create a belligerent environment which lends to the stoppage of development projects in the country the negative impact on GDP growth is assessed to be 2 to 3 per cent per annum because of these NGOs. Banning NGOs is not a solution whereas the government should keep our eye on NGOs so that they can promote good NGOs and eliminate the bad ones.

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