Human Rights activist Henry Tiphagne at the press meetInstagram/peopleswatch
On 25 June 2025 Azeefa Fathima wrote how – at the release of the Global Index on Torture in Geneva, human rights defender Henri Tiphagne of India’s People’s Watch slammed India for failing to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and for allowing systemic impunity in custodial deaths.
India’s human rights record on custodial torture came under sharp international criticism at the launch of the Global Index on Torture in Geneva on Tuesday, June 25, with prominent rights advocate Henri Tiphagne accusing the country of “zero accountability” in cases of police brutality and deaths in custody.
Drawing attention to the fifth anniversary of the custodial deaths of Jeyaraj and Benix in Tamil Nadu, Henri said, “The father and son were tortured and died in judicial custody. They were produced before a judicial magistrate after medical examination, having already changed clothes three times due to bleeding. The trial has gone on for five years, across 262 hearings, and is still ongoing, while the family continues to face reprisals.”
Henri, who is the Executive Director of People’s Watch, criticised India for being among eight countries listed in the Global Index for ongoing torture and reprisals against victims and human rights defenders. “We are yet to ratify the Convention Against Torture, despite over 41 countries having recommended it. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has existed for 32 years and has not prosecuted even one police officer responsible for extrajudicial killings or torture,” he said…
He said that India must “bow down in shame” for its continued failure to ratify the UN convention and for its “zero accountability” in cases of custodial torture and deaths.
India is one of eight countries globally, alongside Libya, Honduras, Belarus, Colombia, Turkey, the Philippines and Tunisia, flagged for systemic torture and reprisals against survivors and human rights defenders. [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/02/25/looking-towards-2025-blog-post-by-omct-secretary-general-gerald-staberock/]
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), established 32 years ago, has never successfully prosecuted a single police officer involved in torture or extrajudicial killings, Henri noted, and said, “We are the only country with so many human rights institutions, and yet they are not functioning. The NHRC has even been downgraded in Geneva, and this speaks volumes”.
Explained: Why India’s NHRC faces a downgrade from ‘A’ to ‘B’ status
This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards.