NEW DELHI: Amnesty International (AI) has urged India to cease its “witch-hunting” of civil society organizations under the guise of combating money laundering and terror financing.
In light of a report released by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering watchdog, AI highlighted that rights organizations and news outlets have long reported harassment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist administration—a claim that the Indian government has denied.
The human rights watchdog noted that over the past decade, India has revoked the licenses of thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) using the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which mandates that charities and non-profits must register to receive funds from abroad.
Critics argue that Modi’s government has used intense scrutiny of financial activities to pressure rights groups and limit foreign funding.
Amnesty pointed out that the FATF criticized the Indian government for its “partial compliance” with measures intended to protect civil society activities in its recent report. The 40-member FATF, which India has been part of since 2010, emphasized the need for the Indian government to prioritize actions recommended in the report and to halt the persecution of non-profit organizations, human rights defenders, and activists under anti-terror and money laundering laws.
Aakar Patel, chair of Amnesty International India, stated that the FATF report noted “significant delays in prosecutions” under India’s money laundering and anti-terror laws, resulting in a high number of pending cases and accused individuals awaiting trial. In 2020, Amnesty International was forced to suspend its operations in India after its bank accounts were frozen.
The Indian government defended its actions, accusing Amnesty of “illegal practices” involving large transfers of money from Amnesty UK to India. Journalists critical of the government also report increased harassment, both online—where Modi’s ruling party has a strong presence—and in person.
