Citizenship law discriminatory against Muslims: U.N. Human Rights Office

“We understand the new law will be reviewed by the Supreme Court of India and hope it will consider carefully the compatibility of the law with India's international human rights obligations,” a U.N. human rights office spokesman said.

Police detain a protester outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University during an anti-Citizenship Act protest in New Delhi on December 13, 2019.

The United Nations Human Rights Office voiced concern on Friday that India's new citizenship law is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature” by excluding Muslims and called for it to be reviewed.

“We are concerned that Indias new Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 is fundamentally discriminatory in nature,” U.N. human rights office spokesman Jeremy Laurence told a Geneva news briefing.

The new law does not extend the same protection to Muslim migrants as to six other religious minorities fleeing persecution, thereby undermining India's commitment to equality before the law, enshrined in its constitution, he said.

“We understand the new law will be reviewed by the Supreme Court of India and hope it will consider carefully the compatibility of the law with India's international human rights obligations,” Mr. Laurence said.