While NGOs are pressing Emmanuel Macron to denounce Modi’s repression of human rights, the Élysée is kicking in. For some, it would already be too late to establish a balanced partnership in the face of the diplomatic giant that India has become.
“Macron should denounce Modi’s human rights crackdown during India visit.” This is the title of the plea published by the NGO Human Rights Watch, which defends human rights and respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, two days before Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in India, Thursday January 25. The President of the Republic is the guest of honor at the national day of the most populous country in the world. The opportunity for Paris to “consolidate and deepen Franco-Indian diplomatic and economic relations”, highlights the Élysée.
What about human rights? Many NGOs are indeed alarmed by the persecution suffered by certain minorities, but also by the fact that journalists and activists are now often reduced to silence in India. Questioned on this point by the HuffPost, Emmanuel Macron’s entourage evades. It is not up to Paris to “judge the democratic evolution” of India as long as it “respects its international commitments”, we affirm on the side of the Élysée.
A vision that Human Right Watch does not share, which for its part believes that “if India’s allies and strategic partners, such as France, do not make it clear to the Modi government that rights violations will have consequences on India’s bilateral relations and its role on the international scene, repression and authoritarianism will continue to grow in India. But the situation could be more complicated than that for Paris. As relayed France 24, according to Jean-Joseph Boillot, “there is a fundamental asymmetry which has been created between India and France”. And the researcher associated with Iris and specialist in India underlines: “France thinks it is capable of establishing a balanced partnership, but in reality it can no longer say anything about human rights because today, the giant diplomatic, it’s India.”