A UN human rights expert has expressed alarm at India’s plan to deport seven Rohingya men to Myanmar.
Tendayi Achiume, the UN special rapporteur on racism, said their forcible return could constitute refoulement which violates international law.
The men from Kyauk Daw township in central Rakhine state face deportation on October 3. They have been held at the Silchar central prison in Cachar district in Assam since 2012 on charges of irregular entry.
“Given the ethnic identity of the men, this is a flagrant denial of their right to protection and could amount to refoulement,” Achiume said, according to a media statement issued from Geneva.
She said India has “an international legal obligation to fully acknowledge the institutionalized discrimination, persecution, hate and gross human rights violations these people have faced in their country of origin and provide them the necessary protection.”
The expert said she was also appalled over the length of their detention, noting that such prolonged detention is prohibited.
“It could be considered arbitrary, and could even fall under the category of inhuman and degrading treatment,” she said, adding that it was unacceptable that the men have not received adequate legal counsel.
The planned deportations follow a previous Indian government order on August 8, 2017 to return Rohingyas. Indian Supreme Court is still considering a petition challenging the 2017 order.
Achiume expressed concern that about 200 Rohingyas were known to be detained in India on charges of irregular entry. “We urge the Government of India to abide by the international norm of non-refoulement and protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees including Rohingyas,” she said