Refugee, ‘infiltrator’ talk part of Modi’s dog-whistle politics
The easy, communal equation Modi draws between the observance of Hindu religious practices and Indian identity is a reminder of how central the idea of a ‘Hindu rashtra’ is to his own belief system and to the politics of the BJP.
Odyssey Dawn, a Homeric tragedy
Two games of domino are under way in West Asia and North Africa, one of mass struggle against U.S.-backed regimes, the other of military intervention aimed at co-opting or defeating … Continue reading
A modest proposal on AFSPA
Change the blanket ban on trials without official sanction to one where the government has the power to bar prosecution in individual cases provided it satisfies the courts that its … Continue reading
Last chance to fix flawed torture Bill
The draft law excludes many scenarios and forms of torture rampant in India. The Rajya Sabha must insist on amendments… 27 August 2010The Hindu Last chance to fix flawed torture … Continue reading
Ottawa, you have a problem
If Canada denies a visa to individuals accused of specific human rights violations, no one would have a problem. But to treat the Indian armed forces as some sort of … Continue reading
This war can’t be won by mines and bullets
It is not litigants who’ve gone to court seeking the rehabilitation of civilians or ‘civil society activists’ but the Maoists and the State who must answer for the deaths of … Continue reading
The buck must stop at the very top
The SIT’s decision to question Narendra Modi for the Gujarat riots underlines the reason why the new Communal Violence Bill must embrace the doctrine of command responsibility … 20 March … Continue reading
The ICC should prosecute Israeli leaders for Gaza
With Palestine accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, Israel should realise there is a price to pay for committing war crimes… 9 February 2009The Hindu ICC should prosecute Israeli leaders … Continue reading
Diplomatic Notebook: India, the NSG and cluster bombs
The U.S. probably has a pretty good idea of what India and the IAEA secretariat have negotiated. But India is still in the dark about what Washington plans to do … Continue reading
Salwa Judum & international humanitarian law
India may not be a party to the Geneva Convention Additional Protocols but it has a legal obligation to protect civilians caught in the cross-fire between the Maoists and state-sponsored … Continue reading
Transitional justice in Southasia @ Kathmandu
The concept of transitional justice is familiar to people in South Africa, Chile and other countries but how relevant and useful is it for South Asia? This is a question … Continue reading
Bringing to book the guilty men of Baghdad
The legal arguments used by the U.S.-sponsored Iraqi court to convict Saddam Hussein of crimes against humanity apply even more forcefully to those American leaders who ordered the illegal invasion … Continue reading
To the victor belongs the judge’s gavel
The show trial of Saddam Hussein was not just a violation of international legal norms by a court operating under the reality of foreign occupation but also an insult to … Continue reading
When power subverts the law
Two seminal books question the possibility of international criminal justice in a unipolar world 10 January 2006The Hindu When power subverts the law Siddharth Varadarajan HOW AMERICA GETS AWAY WITH … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 