World Meetei Council’s petition campaign to review and rectify UN Press Release on Manipur issue was finally closed with a record of over 1,18,900 signatures on Sunday.
The closing event was held via online with attendees from America, Asia, Australia and Europe, stated a release. It thanked all those who had made the journey meaningful by successfully recording over 1,18,900 online signatures from 88 countries spreading across five continents, in the midst of an active internet ban in Manipur, it stated.
WMC representing the Meeteis in India and Meetei diaspora around the world, including numerous concerned individuals from various communities had launched the campaign to amplify a collective voice representing hundreds of thousands of individuals seeking a re-evaluation and amendment of the UN press release to ensure a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of the issue, it stated.
The same shows how deeply the people are concerned about the UN Human rights commission’s act of injustice against the indigenous people of Manipur, it maintained. WMC is optimistic that the UN office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights will re-assess the biased press release issued by the Special Mandate Holders, it stated.
It highlighted the several points raised in the press release, including the portrayal of the conflict as religious, gender-based, incited by hate speech, the characterization of the Kuki community as an ethnic minority, their portrayal as victims and also emphasized the Meetei community’s status as the indigenous and endangered community in India.
The petition, along with the total number of signatures will be submitted to the United Nations OHCHR through the official channel, it added, all the while emphasizing the crucial role of the United Nations in maintaining credibility as a neutral and objective international organization.
