NEDF presses for repealing AFSPA
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Imphal, January 23 2014 : With the people of the North Eastern states especially Manipur experiencing violent armed conflicts for the last 50 years, the need has even more necessitated for the repeal of the infamous laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 which empowers the security forces to misuse their autonomy, according to the North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) .

A press meet was held at Manipur Press Club, Imphal to discuss and forward certain issues related to AFSPA, 1958, according advisor of NEDF, Rev.Dr..P.B.MBaisaiawmoit, former vice president of National Council of Churches from Shillong.

According to the forum, people of the state experiences many kinds of human rights violation both from Indian Union and Manipur state security forces and armed non-state actors.

Rape upon women, murder and molestation are the ugly signs of the misuse of power by the government's security forces.

The forum also said that in such kinds of military actions, thousands of women, children and innocent civilians have lost their lives as absolute power are given to Indian union military, army and para-military forces under AFSPA, 1958.Such Indian soldiers committing human rights violations cannot be punished without prior sanction by the central government, it stated.

The forum has thus made certain recommendations to the government of India which includes repeal of the AFSPA, 1958, urge to respect and implement Geneva Conventions, 1949's common article and Additional Protocol II of 1977, to establish Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to compensate all victims of rape, torture and families of those innocent civilians, to punish human traffickers and rehabilitate victims of trafficking, to strengthen state police with modern techniques and equipments and to immediately stop torture and summoning of civilians by security forces.

Moreover, the forum has also made recommendations to 'political armed opposition groups' to respect and implement the Geneva Conventions, 1949's common article and Additional Protocol II of 1977, to reconcile among the factions and stop inter-factional fighting in the interest of the common people and also to sign and commit to the Geneva Call's Deed of Agreement.

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