India deports Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar, drawing condemnation from United Nations
An exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017 drew the world’s attention to Myanmar’s human rights abuses against its Muslim minority – the United Nations has called it a genocide
India deported seven Rohingya Muslims who had fled their native Myanmar back to their country on Thursday, sparking concerns that the move could endanger their lives and violate international laws that protect refugees.
The decision comes as India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has escalated its rhetorical attacks on migrants who have entered the country illegally. The party’s powerful president, Amit Shah, has repeatedly promised to deport all such migrants, and portrayed them as a security threat. At a public rally in September, he likened them to “termites”.
The deportation also comes as the northeastern state of Assam, where the seven men were imprisoned since 2012, ramps up efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants.
“If someone enters the country illegally, we will send them back,” said Bharat Bhushan Babu, spokesman for India’s Home Affairs Ministry. When asked whether that applied to people fleeing violence in their native countries, he said: “This is applicable to everyone.”
The Rohingya community is a Muslim minority that has faced repeated persecution and violence in its native Myanmar, which is predominantly Buddhist.
