Chennai: Cops stop meeting of European Union delegation with activists

Chennai: A planned meeting between human rights activists in the city and a delegation of the European Union to India with their legal teams was aborted after police officers cordoned off the venue on Friday. The meeting was to be held at a private hotel where the European External Action Service of the Delegation of the European Union to India was staying during their visit.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Henri Tiphagne, executive eirector of People’s Watch, who had organised the meeting said that the delegation was here as part of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders. The hotel’s management had asked that the meeting be wound up claiming that it was illegal and that the police authorities had not been notified about it. “The police had asked the hotel to make it look like the venue was not booked and they were not allowed to sit and discuss there, labelling it a ‘closed-door meeting,’” Henri said.

The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (2008) have reinforced that human rights defenders are their natural and indispensable “allies” in the promotion of human rights and are one of the major priorities of the EU’s external human rights policy. “They were here to assist the defenders, talk to them about the events the state has witnessed in the last few years and stand with them,” Henri said.

Calling Tamil Nadu a “police state”, Henri said that nothing illegal or questionable was being discussed. “The discussion which was attended by Activist-Professor Fathima Babu of the Anti-Killer Sterlite People’s Movement, Thirumurugan Gandhi of May 17 movement, a member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association and others was initially slated for a different venue but had to be pushed to the hotel after police intervention.” Contrary to allegations, the delegation also met the government and other stakeholders.

Henri said “They have met the chief minister, the opposition and bureaucrats before meeting the human rights defenders. The plan was to also meet the central government in Delhi following this and discuss the crimes against human rights, what they can do to strengthen their rights and other activities in the country."