“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” - Global Coalition to Protect ...

• Protect displaced persons from harassment by local tribal communities and
initiate legal action where appropriate.
• Ensure that government officials who instigate local tribal communities to
commit offenses are prosecuted as per the law.
• Protect displaced persons from harassment by Salwa Judum members from
Chhattisgarh.
To the CPI (Maoist) Party
• End human rights abuses and laws of war violations against civilians,
including killings, the use of threats, extortion, the indiscriminate use of
landmines, and reprisals against individuals who have participated in Salwa
Judum, or served as SPOs or police informers.
• Immediately end bomb and other attacks against schools.
• Ensure strict adherence to international human rights standards and
international humanitarian law.
• End jan adalat (people’s court) proceedings that do not meet international
fair trial standards, and cease all death sentences and all extrajudicial
punishments, including against suspected informers and others suspected of
offenses against the Naxalites.
• End attacks that deliberately or indiscriminately target civilians or civilian
objects.
• Issue and implement policies guaranteeing safe return for villagers who wish
to leave Salwa Judum camps and return to their villages.
• Immediately stop all recruitment of children under the age of 18 in any
capacity, including into bal sangams (children’s associations).
• Release all children and give those recruited before age 18 the option to leave.
• Inform families (through public announcements and use of the local media)
that children under age 18 will not be recruited.
• Take all appropriate steps to ensure that Naxalite commanders and other
cadres do not recruit children under age 18, “voluntarily” or otherwise, and
provide the international community with documentation of disciplinary
actions taken against Naxalite leaders responsible for such recruitment.
153
Human Rights Watch July 2008