USCIRF Releases New Factsheet on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on February 19, 2020, released the following new factsheet on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act:
India Factsheet - In December 2019, the Indian Parliament passed into law the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). This law provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Quickly after the CAA's passage, large scale protests broke out across India with the government instituting a violent crackdown against the protestors. In conjunction with a proposed nation-wide National Register of Citizens, there are fears that this law is part of an effort to create a religious test for Indian citizenship and could lead to the widespread disenfranchisement of Indian Muslims. This factsheet provides an overview of the CAA and explains why it represents a significant downward turn in religious freedom in India.
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF placed India on its Tier 2 List.
India Factsheet can be accessed here .
India Chapter - 2019 Annual Report can be accessed here .
Related Link:
Supreme Court of India. 2020 . Application for Intervention , www.livelaw.in, March 5.