Overview

• The UN has launched an investigation into allegations that Indian naval vessels forcibly removed Rohingya refugees and abandoned them in the Andaman Sea near Myanmar's maritime border.
• India's Supreme Court rejected petitions to halt deportations, citing insufficient evidence, and scheduled a full hearing for July 31.
• Witness testimonies and refugee accounts describe being blindfolded, handcuffed, and provided life jackets before being left to swim to Myanmar territory.
• The People’s Union for Civil Liberties alleges that the deportation violated international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to life-threatening conditions.
• India, which hosts an estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees, lacks a national refugee policy and is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.