'Criticised India, excused China': Ex-foreign secretary questions Indira Gandhi Prize to ex-UN rights chief
Kanwal Sibal said Bachelet had repeatedly targeted New Delhi’s policies under the pretext of human rights advocacy
- Nov 20, 2025,
- Updated Nov 20, 2025 9:45 PM IST
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Thursday questioned the decision to confer the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, recalling her "activism against India" during her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"It is surprising that Bachelet has been honoured," Sibal said. "I have in the past had occasions to criticise Bachelet for her activism against India on human rights and minority issues and for interfering in India’s internal affairs."
Sibal said Bachelet had repeatedly targeted New Delhi’s policies under the pretext of human rights advocacy. "As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights she has called on GoI to safeguard human rights of activists, regretted legal constraints faced by NGOs, criticised the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for being used to deter or punish NGOs for ‘human rights reporting and advocacy that the authorities perceive as critical in nature’," he said.
He added that Bachelet had also criticised the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and noted that "activists and human rights defenders have also come under mounting pressure" while participating in the anti-CAA protests in 2019–20. "She reproved the GoI for using the UAPA against activists," Sibal said.
In contrast, he said, Bachelet "played down China’s violation of human rights" during her May 2022 visit to Beijing. "She even legitimised the Chinese government’s narrative on human rights violations of Uighurs," he said, pointing out that Bachelet used the Chinese term "vocational education and training centers" to refer to detention camps where over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities were reportedly incarcerated.
On Wednesday, Bachelet was presented the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
At the ceremony attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and jury chairman Shiv Shankar Menon, Sonia Gandhi praised Bachelet for her "efforts to ensure the rights of all, particularly of women."
She said Bachelet's journey - from a survivor of torture and exile to Chile’s first woman Defence Minister and two-time President - was "an inspiring story of resilience and leadership." As UN Women’s first director and later as UN Human Rights chief, Gandhi said, Bachelet worked to advance gender equality, healthcare access, and social protection.
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Thursday questioned the decision to confer the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, recalling her "activism against India" during her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"It is surprising that Bachelet has been honoured," Sibal said. "I have in the past had occasions to criticise Bachelet for her activism against India on human rights and minority issues and for interfering in India’s internal affairs."
Sibal said Bachelet had repeatedly targeted New Delhi’s policies under the pretext of human rights advocacy. "As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights she has called on GoI to safeguard human rights of activists, regretted legal constraints faced by NGOs, criticised the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for being used to deter or punish NGOs for ‘human rights reporting and advocacy that the authorities perceive as critical in nature’," he said.
He added that Bachelet had also criticised the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and noted that "activists and human rights defenders have also come under mounting pressure" while participating in the anti-CAA protests in 2019–20. "She reproved the GoI for using the UAPA against activists," Sibal said.
In contrast, he said, Bachelet "played down China’s violation of human rights" during her May 2022 visit to Beijing. "She even legitimised the Chinese government’s narrative on human rights violations of Uighurs," he said, pointing out that Bachelet used the Chinese term "vocational education and training centers" to refer to detention camps where over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities were reportedly incarcerated.
On Wednesday, Bachelet was presented the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
At the ceremony attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and jury chairman Shiv Shankar Menon, Sonia Gandhi praised Bachelet for her "efforts to ensure the rights of all, particularly of women."
She said Bachelet's journey - from a survivor of torture and exile to Chile’s first woman Defence Minister and two-time President - was "an inspiring story of resilience and leadership." As UN Women’s first director and later as UN Human Rights chief, Gandhi said, Bachelet worked to advance gender equality, healthcare access, and social protection.