Members of AIPP

Karbi Human Rights Watch (KHRW)

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day i.e. 10th Dec. 2005, the “Karbi Peoples’ Fight for Human Rights” (KPFHR) came into being at the initiatives of the veteran students leaders, in the wake of the bloodiest genocide inflicted on the Karbi and Dimasa tribesmen in the backyard of their own homeland – a homeland that is yet to be as the insensitive rulers at Dispur and Delhi continue to snub the Karbi-Dimasa demand since the last three decade or so for an Autonomous State as enshrined in Article 244(A) of the Indian Constitution. The genocide that virtually turned the green hills into a killing field of humanity was not an isolated or sudden incident. The proposed ‘Autonomous State’ areas of Karbi Anglong lack an organization which will keep track and create awareness on Human Rights & violations. With the passage of time the indigenous people had to pay increasingly heavier prices for daring to assert their rights and aspiring to economic and political autonomy within the constitutional frame work. As a result, some youths took the extreme form of struggle to assert their Rights. On the 23rd of July 2007, however the name of the forum was changed to Karbi Human Rights Watch (KHRW) with the approval of the Committee to reflect the main aims and objectives of the forum.

Aims and Objectives:

1. To protect, extend and help implement the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India and to make people aware of the same.
2. To work towards making and building strong co-operation amongst the Karbi organizations/individuals.
3. To build public opinion towards the ratification and enforcement by the Indian government of the United Nations Charter on Human Rights, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other such Charters, Declarations and Covenants.
4. Have informative and open discussions about current and past issues of the Karbis.
5. To promote the ideals outlined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
6. To increase women’s awareness on their legal rights & improve women’s knowledge on types and extent of gender based violence and its consequences.
7. To empower women with information on available services providers for response to gender based violence.
8. To develop women’s skills in sports for improved health, team spirit and self-confidence & promote women participation in politics.
9. Work for the children’s rights to education, skills development & basic needs.

KHRW is an organization formed by the people of Karbi community and to fight for the community, who inhabited in the NE India and the sub-continent.

Vision Mission and Goals of the organization:

1. Documentation, initiate networking and advocacy.
2. Working for repeal of all extraordinary and draconian legislations and to defend the victims.
3. Organize more interactive sessions to bridge the gap within the community & to build public opinion on the Human Rights as well as basic human rights violations.
4. Organize Seminars, Workshops, Trainings, on Human Rights, Capacity buildings, and to create awareness to the people and build peace & conflict transformation.
5. Create the platform also advocates for promoting women’s contribution to fostering a culture of peace.
6. Women and Child rights.

Zo Indigenous Forum (ZIF)

Zo Indigenous Forum (ZIF) is a human rights-based indigenous people’s organization founded in 2009 in Mizoram, Northeast India. Its main objective is for the protection of and promotion of human rights, in particular to the social, economic and cultural rights of Zo indigenous peoples. Its activities include awareness raising and education on human rights, promotion of traditional knowledge including campaign for the recognition of indigenous language rights, campaign and advocacy to combat child labor and trafficking, empowerment of women, children and youth, management of natural resources etc.

Vision Mission and Goals of the organization:
The organization’s mission is to provide quality and informed support to grass roots and community-based groups and organizations on development issues, civil society and democratic participation for sustainable development based on respect of human rights, equity and justice, valuing the strength and role of women, children and young peoples. The key objectives of the organization is to promote indigenous peoples self-determined rights and development over their land, resource and territory for conservation and management of natural environment with due respect of human rights-based approach to development and also further to strengthen the solidarity of Indigenous and Tribal peoples against all forms of colonization and State repression.

Entity: MSR 209 of 07.08.2009
Agency: Mizoram Societies Registration Act 2005
Place of issue: Aizawl
Date of issue: 8th August 2009

Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR)

Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) was formed on the 9th of September 1978 in response to the Naga people’s long-felt need for an organized struggle and movement to protect and further their human rights which have been trampled under the boots of the Indian military ever since the early 1950s, and based on the Universal belief that “violation of human rights in any part of the world is a threat to the human race as a whole and that protection and promotion of human rights anywhere is a concern of all”. NPMHR was formed to expose to India and the rest of the world what the Indian Government through its military forces have been doing to the Naga civilian population which were unknown to the world and untold even to the Indians as the entire Naga areas were restricted for any foreigners or Newspaper reporters to visit Nagaland. During which time, some of the types and forms of human rights violations which were used to suppress the Nagas were; Execution in public, Mass raping, Deforming sex organs, Mutilating limbs and body, Electric shocks, Puncturing eyes, Hanging people up-side-down, Putting people in smoke-filled rooms, Burning down of villages, granaries and crops, Concentration Camps, Forced starvation and forced labor etc.

After its formation the first thing NPMHR did was to organize a Human Rights Week in Nagaland at Kohima, to also observe the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the 10th of December to the 15th of December 1978. During this time, NPMHR members and activists visited the neighboring villages in and around Kohima and explained the purpose for which NPMHR was formed and to invite people to come to a Human Rights Rally which will be held on the 15th of December 1978 at Ruby Cinema Hall. Despite the disapproval of the Nagaland State Government and the imposition of 144 CrPC, huge number of people who were victims of Indian army atrocities themselves and others who have suffered lost and death of their family members came and participated. Many of them in tears spoke and gave moving accounts of how they have suffered frequent tortures, hunger and humiliations from the hands of the Indian military.

In the following years, NPMHR toured some of the Naga areas where army atrocities were taking place and collected testimonies and evidences of gross human rights violations that were committed on innocent Naga civilians. These evidences were then compiled into a Petition and were submitted to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Chinnappa Reddy on the 14th of April 1982. This Petition was gradually converted into a Writ Petition called NPMHR – Vs – the Union of India. This Petition also challenged the “constitutional validity of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, of 1958” (AFSPA), besides the many cases of army atrocities recorded in the Petition. Further more, NPMHR also filed another Petition in the Guwahati High Court on October 28, 1987, following the infamous “Operation Bluebird” in the case of NPMHR Vs Union of India And Ors charging the Indian military of committing cognizable offences against Naga villagers from 30 villages in and around Oinam village under Senapati district, Manipur.

Likewise, there were many other similar cases which NPMHR had to address in different parts of Nagaland, and specially at Kohima and Dimapur up to the later parts of 1990s.

Likewise, there were many other similar cases which NPMHR had to address in different parts of Nagaland, and specially at Kohima and Dimapur up to the later parts of 1990s.

However, when Ceasefire between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) was declared with effect from 1st of August 1997, NPMHR started peace and reconciliation works among the different Naga political groups and started meeting with the highest leaders of the different Naga National Political Groups by travelling to Bangkok in Thailand, undertook journey on foot and walk to the deep jungles of Eastern Naga Areas in Myanmar, and also to London, as well as including the various camps in Nagaland. This effort were basically to request the leaders to stop the fighting among themselves and to make efforts to unite for peace and solution to the political problem for the sake of the upcoming young and future Naga generation.

The activities of NPMHR include organizing the people for protection and maintenance of human rights. It also includes awareness building, campaign, documentation and dissemination of human rights violations, organizing relief works for victims of human rights abuses, organizing fact-finding teams to the affected areas, initiating intensive debates and discussions on issues confronting the society, etc. and also most importantly NPMHR initiated peoples – to – peoples dialogue between the Naga civil society and the Indian civil society, and amongst the Nagas living in different areas and political administration in the states of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

NPMHR is guided by its 11 points Declaration, which are; To ensure and safeguard:

1. The right to life;
2. The right to work;
3. The right to live together as a people and the unification of all Naga lands;
4. The right to hold and communicate ones belief;
5. The freedom of movement, assembly and association;
6. Free access to all places of learning;
7. Maximum participation of the people in the making of decision affecting their lives;
8. Freedom from socio-economic exploitation, political domination and military repression;
9. Against anti-democratic processes and the dismantling of institutions and social values which legitimize and perpetuate these within our society;
10. Against the practices of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, execution, and the use of unconventional weapons; and
11. Against the imposition of undesirable alien legal systems and socio-cultural concepts and ways of life.

Borok Indigenous Tribal Peoples’ Development Centre (BITPDC)

Borok Indigenous Tribal Peoples’ Development Centre (BITPDC) is a non-political and non-benefits and Voluntary based Organization focusing on Indigenous Peoples Rights and Human Rights based activities in Tripura State, North East India. It works all corner of Tripura State.

BITPDC has strived to empowering indigenous people by advocating social justice, sustainable human development, participatory democracy, gender equality, peace and human security through collaboration and cooperation among Human Rights organizations in the regional level.

Vision Mission and Goals of the organization

BOROK INDIGENOUS TRIBAL PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT CENTRE(BITPDC) is committed to build a peaceful, equitable and ecologically sustainable community and societies in TRIPURA, where all Human Rights of all individuals, different groups and different background people, poorest of the poor, marginalized and discriminated people—are fully respected. Also BITPDC is educating the local indigenous peoples level society about the international acceptance Human Rights norms, standards and practices and UNDRIP particularly.

BITPDC one of the major mission is to revive the traditional and cultural practice of Indigenous peoples and put into practice and enhance younger generation to understand and empower them through organizing training seminar and workshop.

BITPDC is one of the leading Indigenous organizations in the platform, BITPDC to facilitate dialogue, capacity-building and networking among Human Rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, civil society actors within the State to achieve a full realization of all the Human Rights and human development in the Region.

Indigenous Women Forum North East India (IWFNEI)

Indigenous Women Leaders came together at Guwahati while in a workshop in the year 2004.and had a long deliberation on the situation of our Indigenous Women and to our dismay found that in most of the Northeast State the Indigenous Women where the less privileged in all spheres of life so finally felt that unless and until we have our own platform nobody will address our issue and educate our Women so we felt the necessity to have an Organization of our own to raise and create awareness among our women group. And also to motivate and to speak out their problems and difficulties so that jointly we can addressed. And this was how the Organization was formed in April 2004.initially we started with 4 States: Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura.

Vision Mission and Goals of the organization:

1. To Empower Indigenous Women of Northeast India in a just and sustainable society.
2. To enhance Indigenous Women of Northeast through various programmes and activities for development, unity, peace and justice.
3. To serve as a forum for creating a space to come together and to share ideas and experiences.
4. To facilitate the attainment of our aspirations.
5. To advocate and campaign for the cause of Indigenous Women and people.
6. To coordinate with likeminded organizations and movements.
7. To research document, publish and disseminate information on various issues regarding the Indigenous people.
8. To empower and strengthen Indigenous Women through various programmes.