The petition was provided to the US Departments of State and Treasury, and requests that the US government implement economic and visa sanctions on 11 of Modi’s top officials for their “attempts to extradite Devas Multimedia’s Ramachandran Viswanathan to India for trial, where he would likely be unlawfully detained and subject to inhumane treatment”
Law360 reported that Frontiers of Freedom, an American NGO dedicated to protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals and businesspersons across the globe, submitted a petition under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act “to enact serious sanctions against 11 Indian officials for alleged human rights abuses committed against” Devas co-founder Ramachandran Viswanathan.
The petition was provided to the US Departments of State and Treasury, and requests that the US government implement economic and visa sanctions on 11 of Modi’s top officials for their “attempts to extradite Devas Multimedia’s Ramachandran Viswanathan to India for trial, where he would likely be unlawfully detained and subject to inhumane treatment”.
Matthew D. McGill, lead counsel to Devas shareholders and partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, lauded the filing of the petition: “The submission of this petition on behalf of Mr. Viswanathan sends a strong message to India: U.S. businesspersons and investors are protected under U.S. and international law, and any attempts to intimidate, harass, or retaliate against them by abusing international organizations and treaties will be met with swift, definitive action. The autocratic perpetrators within the Modi regime will be held accountable for their lawless, thuggish behaviour.”
The Global Magnitsky Act of 2016 along with Executive Order 13818 authorizes the US government to sanction foreign government officials worldwide who have been deemed serious human rights offenders
The Indian government, in its campaign to evade paying lawful arbitration awards owed to Devas shareholders, have engaged in an abusive campaign of harassment and transnational repression against Mr. Viswanathan, including unlawful attempts to use the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters between the US and India to “gain intelligence, monitor, question and arrest Mr. Viswanathan” as noted by Frontiers of Freedom.
George Landrith, President of Frontiers of Freedom, in announcing the petition stated, “The actions of the autocratic Indian regime led by Prime Minister Modi are an assault on the rule of law and the rights and freedoms granted to every American. We urge the US government to look past India’s façade and punish, with sanctions, those who seek to violate the rights of Mr. Viswanathan.”
Law360 writes further: “Indian officials have also asked Interpol to issue a “red notice” asking worldwide officials to arrest Viswanathan, which means that the satellite company founder cannot leave the U.S. without the fear of being detained…”
All of this was very clearly a violation of Viswanathan’s rights and freedoms. Frontiers of Freedom reiterated that the Indian government’s actions were simply retaliation and intended to “stop the efforts of Mr Viswanathan’s company he co-founded, Devas, from enforcing a billion dollar arbitration judgment against the Indian government.”
The Global Magnitsky Act of 2016 along with Executive Order 13818 authorizes the US government to sanction foreign government officials worldwide who have been deemed serious human rights offenders. The sanction would freeze the offenders’ assets and block them from entering the United States. Frontiers of Freedom collaborated with Viswanathan’s counsel, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, as well as Viswanathan himself to compile and submit the petition.
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