Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights 2020

Human rights continued to deteriorate, as government officials, security forces, local militias, and militant groups were all responsible for committing gross human rights abuses in violation of international law. The plight of minorities and women was particularly concerning, as these vulnerable groups remained marginalized and subjected to violence, discriminatory laws, and social prejudice and harassment.

The period of 2019-2020 was once again marked by repeated attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities, institutionalized discrimination and legal restrictions, and the expanding influence of Islamist groups, such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefaazat-e-Islam.

Despite a transition to democracy in Bhutan, many of the discriminatory policies favoring Buddhists and Drukpa culture remain in place. Similarly, there are still a number of human rights issues, including discriminatory citizenship laws, restrictions on civil liberties, political prisoners, social prejudice, and religious freedom and minority cultural/linguistic rights.

While human rights conditions have vastly improved in Fiji since a democratic transition in 2014, abuses by the government and security forces remain prevalent.

2019 – 2020 was a historic time period for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Most significantly, on August 5, 2019, the Indian government legally, democratically, and constitutionally abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of India’s Constitution, temporary provisions that conferred special status on the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the current reign of the National Alliance and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin, ethnic and religious divides have increased, while the government has expanded restrictions on religious freedom, speech, and civil liberties.

Human rights and religious freedom conditions continued to deteriorate at an unprecedented rate in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during 2019-2020. Pakistan’s widespread violation of human rights and its tolerance of human rights violations by non-state actors demonstrate a blatant disregard for its obligations under international human rights norms.

To be released

2019-2020 was marked by political turmoil, terrorism, riots, and religiously motivated violence. Government authorities continued to discriminate against religious minorities and did not adequately respond to or prevent religious violence or harassment by non-state actors.

To be released