In 2019, Front Line Defenders traveled to Manipur, one of the states in the northeast region of India. The state is under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act of 1958, which effectively enables the Indian Army to maintain an ongoing presence in all areas of the state and to place all civilians under an effective rule by martial law. Under this Act, thousands of Manipuri civilians have been detained, jailed, tortured and extra judiciously killed by the armed forces and associated paramilitary forces.
