Facts

Boris Johnson’s claim that Britain and India shared anxieties “about autocracies and autocratic coercion around the world”  Modi’s regime has led what Human Rights Watch describes as a “crackdown on civil society and the media” in which his Government “prosecutes activists, journalists, peaceful protestors, and other critics” on fabricated charges. According to Amnesty International, Modi’s Government has “used repressive laws to silence [its] critics” in the press while “curbing freedom of expression both offline and online”.

According to the Amnesty assessment, “human rights defenders, including activists, journalists, students, lawyers and actors, continue to face intimidation and harassment”.

Verdict

Boris Johnson’s claim that Modi “shares anxieties” about “autocratic coercion” was false, obscene and an insult to the many Indian citizens who have suffered under Modi’s increasingly barbarous and autocratic government.

We approached Boris Johnson's office, No10 Press Office and the Cabinet Office to give them a chance to comment, but received no response.