IMPHAL, March 28: The team of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights’ in Manipur and UN today met with UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns at Guwahati during a North East Region consultation programme and submitted a memorandum on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in the state.
The Special Rapporteur is currently on a mission to India since March 19 and will be in the country till March 30. He was in Guwahati to meet victims and civil societies and government of the region.
The consultation was co-organised by the North East Human Rights Defenders’ Network, Women in Governance Network North East, the United NGOs Mission – Manipur and the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the UN.
According to a statement of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the UN, Justice (retd.) WA Shishak, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Chhattisgarh and former chairperson of the Manipur Human Rights Commission chaired the consultation which was also attended by Justice (retd.) C. Upendra, and former members of the Manipur Human Rights Commission, Yambem Laba and R.K. Rajendra Singh.
Delegates, including news media-persons from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura were present at the well-attended consultation at the Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok.
The President of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) also attended the consultation, the statement added.
During his visit to the North East region, Prof Heyns met with members of the Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families’ Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Gun Widows’ Association Sadar Hills, family members of arbitrary killings from Assam and human rights defender organisations of the region in an interactive meeting.
After listening attentively to the participants of the consultation, Prof. Heyns said that he was moved by the narratives from the region, especially the way the memories of the deceased are being kept alive.
He also said that though it was important to keep those who had become victims alive through our memories his mandate is to ensure that people are never taken away suddenly from their families by summary or arbitrary killings.
He stated that he would share his recommendations to the government of India on the last day of last mission when he will hold a press conference at New Delhi, the statement added.
The memorandum on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in Manipur submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur during his mission to India, describes killings indigenous persons and groups that are in violation of international human rights or humanitarian law occurring in Manipur, India.
According to a statement of the coalition body, the memorandum focuses on killings by law enforcement officials due to excessive use of force during, inter alia, arrests, deaths in custody and killings of vulnerable groups.
The memorandum further elaborates on the political context of the armed conflict prevailing in Manipur for the past over three decades, which forms the context of the summary or arbitrary killings. It also provides information on the domestic legislative provisions, lacunae in the investigation and judicial processes and the independence of the judiciary, the limitations of inquests and post-mortem procedures, absence of a witness protection programme and issues concerning impunity, justice and reparation for the victims` families. The memorandum also contained several recommendations from the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the UN.