Rubio Says U.S. Won’t Intervene in India Protests

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not intervene in protests in India, calling the demonstrations a domestic political matter and questioning the credibility of United Nations experts who criticized the authorities’ handling of them. Asked about protests by opposition parties and students, Rubio said India was a democracy with elections and that the country’s political disputes were for Indians to address. He also said demonstrations and public expressions of disagreement were part of democratic discourse. His comments did not endorse or independently assess the allegations surrounding the protests. More than 20 UN human-rights experts called for an independent investigation into the handling of the demonstrations, according to reporting on their statement. They alleged excessive force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detentions and restrictions on public assembly. Those claims remain allegations in the material available; it does not establish what occurred during the protests. The demonstrations are linked to demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and objections to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive...