Intimidation and Harassment of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists and Lawyers in Gujarat

A report by Human Rights Watch
URL: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/india/gujarat/

India: After Gujarat Riots, Witnesses Face Intimidation
State Government Fails to Provide Protection; Time for New Delhi to
Step In

(New York, September 24, 2004) -- As the courts hear cases stemming
from the anti-Muslim riots of March 2002, the authorities in Gujarat are
intimidating rather than protecting witnesses who seek to bring the
perpetrators of the violence to justice, Human Rights Watch said in a new
report released today. The central government in New Delhi must take
immediate steps to ensure the protection of the victims and witnesses of
the riots and their advocates.

The 30-page report, "Discouraging Dissent: Intimidation and Harassment
of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists and Lawyers," documents how
Hindu extremists have threatened and intimidated victims, witnesses and
rights defenders who are fighting for the prosecution of those responsible
for the killing and injury of Muslims during the riots. Instead of pursuing
the perpetrators of violence, the state government˜formed by the Hindu
nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Chief Minister Narandra
Modi˜has nurtured a climate of fear. Officials have targeted those
seeking justice with selective investigations by state tax authorities or the
police.

"Two years after the Gujarat riots, witnesses are being threatened and
sometimes even attacked," said Brad Adams, executive director of
Human Rights Watch's Asia Division. "Not only has the Gujarat
government failed to pursue those responsible for the riots, it is
obstructing justice by its failure to protect witnesses."