RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF In June, the Supreme Court granted bail to In April, stringent amendments were made to students and human rights activists Natasha an anti-conversion law in the state of Gujarat. Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal The amendments punish religious conversion Tanha, who were arrested under the UAPA with up to 10 years in prison, and nullify the for allegedly orchestrating the 2020 Delhi marriages of those who have converted. The riots. However, it barred this judgment from burden of proof is reversed, and the woman’s being used as a precedent in similar cases, testimony that she converted of her own effectively preventing courts from granting volition is insufficient. Her husband and his bail to other students and human rights family must prove that she was not coerced activists languishing in jail for peacefully to change her religion. In the past, similar protesting against the Citizenship laws were enacted in Uttarakhand, Himachal Amendment Act. The Supreme Court also Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya delayed hearing crucial cases related to the Pradesh. In August, the Gujarat High Court constitutional validity of the Citizenship suspended certain provisions of the law, Amendment Act as well as to sedition and holding them to be unconstitutional. the abrogation of Article 370 of the DISCRIMINATION Constitution. It also delayed hearing the challenges to the three laws on farming that In June, the BJP-led state government in were passed with minimal consultation in Assam introduced a two-child policy, which 2020 and resulted in long-standing protests barred those with larger families of more than by farmers. two children from contesting local elections, RIGHT TO HEALTH applying for government jobs and getting subsidies from government welfare schemes. In 2020, the government set up the PM The BJP-led government in the state of Uttar CARES Fund to deal with emergency Pradesh introduced a similar draft law. situations including the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there was a lack of transparency over the distribution of huge grants collected INDONESIA by the fund. The central government exempted the fund from audit by the Republic of Indonesia Comptroller and Auditor General, calling it a Head of state and government: Joko Widodo “public charitable trust”. Despite the high number of reported Human rights defenders, academics, Covid-19 cases, the central government journalists and students were among those allowed religious congregations like the prosecuted and harassed for their legitimate Kumbh Mela and election rallies to go ahead. activities. The Electronic Information and Prime Minister Modi personally appealed to Transaction Law was widely used to restrict citizens to attend. It later emerged that these the right to freedom of expression online. events contributed to a second wave of Political and labour rights activists and Covid-19 infections, during which there was Indigenous peoples were among those an acute shortage of hospital beds and arrested and prosecuted, including for oxygen to treat patients. participating in peaceful protests, and Community health workers, including the excessive force was used to disperse all-female Accredited Social Health Activists protesters. At least 28 prisoners of (ASHA workers) who operate in rural areas, conscience remained imprisoned. Security were not given adequate wages or PPE. forces committed unlawful killings in Papua and West Papua, largely with impunity. There was a continued pattern of Amnesty International Report 2021/22 193