By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: Amidst criticism of the government and judiciary for life sentence to eminent human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen and various other cases of attacks on human rights defenders in different parts of the country, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, began her 12-day India visit on 10th January 2011.
In order to gather first-hand information about the situation of human rights activists in the country, the Special Rapporteur will meet with State officials, a broad segment of civil society and the press, representatives of UN agencies and the diplomatic corps.
The UN expert will visit the States of Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa and West Bengal, and will hold national consultations with human rights defenders in Delhi. A press conference will be held in Delhi at the conclusion of the Special Rapporteur’s visit on 21 January 2011, said a press statement released on 10th January by United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“The aim of the mission is to evaluate in person, in an objective and impartial manner, the situation of human rights defenders in the country, and to initiate a process of constructive cooperation with the authorities,” said Mrs. Sekaggya, who is visiting India at the invitation of the Government.
UN Special Rapporteur will held the Regional Consultation for Human Rights Defenders from the North Eastern States of Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland in Guwahati on 14th January.
A final report on the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in 2012.
Margaret Sekaggya, a lawyer from Uganda, was appointed Special Rapporteur in March 2008 by the UN Human Rights Council. She is independent from any Government and serves in her individual capacity.
For more information about the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.
For further information and media enquiries, please contact:
In Geneva:
Ms. Dolores Infante-Canibano
(Tel: + 41 22 917 9730 / Email:[email protected]).
In Delhi:
Mr. Rajiv Chandran
(Tel: 91-11-4653-2237/ mobile: 98106-06833 / Email:[email protected])