Srinagar: Srinagar-based human rights activists have strongly criticized European countries for what they termed blatant double standards, accusing them of hobnobbing with India despite its dismal human rights record in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and growing persecution of minorities inside India.

According to Beyond the Time News, the activists were reacting to the announcement of a so-called sweeping free trade agreement between India and the European Union, hailed by New Delhi as the “mother of all deals.”

They said the EU’s decision to deepen economic and strategic ties with India, while turning a blind eye to grave and well-documented human rights violations, exposes the hollowness of Europe’s claims of upholding democratic values and human rights.

The activists said that Kashmir continues to face military siege, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and suppression of dissent, particularly since the illegal revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019. They added that minorities across India, especially Muslims, Christians and Dalits, are increasingly subjected to hate campaigns, discriminatory laws and mob violence under the Modi regime.

They said it was deeply disturbing that European leaders who frequently lecture other countries on human rights and rule of law are now rewarding India with unprecedented trade concessions, ignoring reports by international rights groups on abuses in Kashmir and communal violence inside India. “This selective morality amounts to complicity,” the activists remarked.

The Srinagar-based rights defenders urged the European Union to condition its economic engagement with India on measurable improvements in human rights, including restoration of political rights in Kashmir, release of political prisoners, repeal of draconian laws and accountability for abuses committed by Indian forces.

They warned that prioritizing profits and strategic interests over justice and human dignity would further embolden India to intensify repression in Kashmir and marginalize minorities, undermining the EU’s credibility as a global champion of human rights and international law.