SUBJECT: Statement of Purpose- Master of Arts in Ethics, Peace & Human Rights

To whomsoever it may concern:

I grew up in Army cantonments, mostly adjacent to small towns and cities. This proximity to the grassroots of my
country, especially in my formative years, gave me many opportunities to observe the compulsions that many of
our people face and live with. As I grew older, I could put a label to these grossly unjust life situations - Human
Rights and the violation of these rights.​ ​I grew to relate deeply with crisis situations, how they affect human
rights and all the complications States face in order to fulfill their obligations on such matters. This moral
commitment led me to pursue a Masters Degree from the University for Peace, Costa Rica, in Media, Peace and
Conflict Studies, wherein I got the opportunity to understand a few of the global perspectives on human right’s
issues, justice, peace and humanitarian aid.

My short tenure as an online and media intern with the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC, The
Hague), was a significant experience relating to the international arena and the protection of victims during war
time or peace, my biggest exposure to Human Rights and the need to address them. During my time in this
organization, I acknowledged how mainstream media is playing a crucial role in making people aware on an
international level about what is happening all around the world, including the prosecution of the perpetrators
of the most heinous crimes in the international sphere, most of which are gross violations of Human Rights in
every aspect.

As a Journalism and subsequently a Media, Peace & Conflict Studies student, I realised the importance of
ethics. Ethical practices of journalism, reporting, media practices, etc all point to one thing - disseminating
correct information so that the truth is known to the public at all costs. But unfortunately, of late, journalism
and media practices seem to be compromising on ethics and moving away from unbiased, objective reporting
practices. On the contrary, they have added to fear mongering, gossip and rumours which in turn have had
devastating consequences in my country.

The current situation in India is a perfect example of the threat to Peace & Human Rights. The amended
Citizenship Act offers citizenship to illegal immigrants who are Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi nationals, but
fled their home countries to escape religious persecution. This law does not cover Muslim nationals of these
countries, including those belonging to minority communities such as Ahmadis, who aren't recognised as
Muslims in Pakistan. The United Nations human rights office, meanwhile, worries that the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act is "fundamentally discriminatory". A UN official said recently that persecuted groups should
be protected through an asylum system that applies equally to all concerned, irrespective of religion, race or
nationality. These amendments may result in the biggest statelessness crisis in the world causing immense
human suffering. Amidst this conundrum is the role that the media has played which is extremely worrisome.
For me, as a media professional who has studied the significant role that the media plays in either diffusing
conflict or actually adding to the flare-up, media reportage of the aforementioned scenario comes across as
significantly lacking in responsibility.

The Indian Government is being highly criticised for its human rights practices and in response to those
criticisms, the government has highlighted the role of free media and civil society organisations in protection of
human rights of vulnerable groups. However, with respect to the lockdown situation of Jammu & Kashmir for
the past 6 months and the ongoing struggle with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the media, I’m afraid
has not played its role responsibly or ethically. What concerns me is that the recent coverage of these sensitive
and volatile national issues seem to come across as biased and partisan. This is an acid-test moment for
national media when it needs to retain a stronghold of ethics. It needs to empower the citizens through
dissemination of factual, unbiased information that leads to informed decision instead of abetting
fear-mongering and speculative sentiments.
Witnessing something so up close and personal just re-affirms my conviction of pursuing a career in learning,
teaching and defending Human Rights worldwide. I believe that my previous study has laid the initial
foundation of learning about Human Rights and my experiences thereafter, both professional and personal,
have built me up to go further to do a more in-depth study and research about Peace & Human Rights. I
strongly believe that the Master of Arts in Ethics, Peace & Human Rights is the perfect course for me and it
would be an absolute honor for me to study at American University, School of International Service.

Thank you.

Regards
Anish Saha
byakugan.saha@gmail.com