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| Press Release: International groups demand justice for Dr Binayak Sen |
HTML Format | PDF Format | Word Format Association for India's Development For Immediate Release: May 17th, 2009 International Groups Demand Justice on the Second Anniversary of Dr. Binayak Sen’s Continued Incarceration Press Contact: Somnath Mukherji Phone:
Cambridge, MA: Human Rights activists and concerned citizens gathered on May 14th in several cities in the U.S. and Europe, including Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Buffalo, London, Edinburgh and Berlin, to protest the continued and unjust incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen by the government of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. Dr. Sen, a human rights activist and physician for the poor, has been under detention without bail since May 2007, and the protests are part of an ongoing global campaign by a coalition of over 50 International groups, including Amnesty International, Association for India’s Development (AID), National Lawyers’ Guild and a group of 22 Nobel Laureates, who have all called for the immediate release of Dr. Sen. In India, thousands of supporters are courting arrest as part of the Raipur Satyagraha, a mass civil disobedience action in Raipur where Dr. Sen is incarcerated. Over 70 supporters raised slogans at Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, demanding the immediate release of Dr. Sen. Protesters questioned why bail had been denied to Dr. Sen despite his record of over 25 years of public service, both as a medical doctor that served underprivileged communities, and as a human rights crusader. Dr.Bobby Cherayil, a physician and a friend of Dr.Sen’s said “Dr.Sen is being penalized for drawing attention to the utter marginalization of indigenous communities from civil polity, and to the neglect and outright abuse that these communities are subjected to by agents of the government”. In Washington D.C., volunteers of AID, along with Mr. T.Kumar, Asia-Pacific Advocacy Director at Amnesty International, met with officials at the Indian embassy and submitted a petition with hundreds of signatures demanding the release of Dr. Sen. Amnesty has declared Dr. Sen to be a Prisoner of Conscience and has demanded his immediate and unconditional release.
Dr. Sen attracted the ire of the government of Chhattisgarh for his outspoken criticism of atrocities committed by the Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored militia that has been attacking local indigenous communities under the guise of containing Maoist groups, and which has caused large-scale displacement of these communities. Dr. Sen was arrested under the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967, two draconian laws that shield the government from public scrutiny by criminalizing any investigation of, or reporting about, activities deemed “unlawful” by the state. Dr. Sen has been on medication for angina since 2004, and has developed a serious coronary problem warranting immediate attention while being imprisoned. His deteriorating health is being made worse by the government’s apathy and failure to provide appropriate medical treatment. “It is a travesty of justice that Dr.Sen, who served the poorest in Chhattisgarh for over 25 years as a physician, is now being denied medical attention,” said Karthik Shekhar, a volunteer with AID-Boston. Although the Supreme Court of India recently approved a Special Leave Petition, and ordered the government of Chhattisgarh to attend immediately to Dr. Sen’s medical concerns, prison authorities continue to deny his request to be treated in a medical facility of his choice, insisting that he seek treatment within Chhattisgarh. Over a hundred physicians from around the world have written to the Prime Minister of India, expressing concern over the deteriorating health of Dr. Sen and the State’s apathy. “Dr. Binayak has a blemishless record of public service both as a medical doctor amongst the poor and as a human rights crusader, and it is our humble opinion that a great injustice has already been done to him,” the letter stated.
Several students fasted in Buffalo, New York, to mark the second anniversary of Dr. Sen’s imprisonment, while students at the University of Pennsylvania fasted and organized a candle-light vigil. Subhrajit Bhattacharya, an activist from Philadelphia expressed concerns about an increasing trend of arresting human rights activists in India for challenging state authority. Dr. Many others including Lachit Bordoloi, a human rights activist from Assam; Prashant Rahi, journalist from Uttarakhand; Govindan Kutty, editor of People’s March in Kerala; Praful Jha, a journalist from Chhattisgarh; Vernon Gonsalves, an activist from Nasik; Arun Ferreira, Ashok Reddy, Dhanendra Bhurule, Naresh Bansode, activists from Vidarbha have all been charged under the UAPA and kept under prolonged detention without bail.
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Information on the Raipur Satyagraha for the Release of Dr. Binayak Sen is here: http://raipursatyagraha. More information on Dr. Binayak Sen and his case: 1. For a detailed analysis of the state’s case against Dr. Sen, read the 3-part series in Indian Express by Vinay Sitapati: http://www.binayaksen.net/ 2. A timeline of Binayak Sen’s case is available here: http://www.binayaksen.net/ 3. A compilation of news articles on Dr. Sen can be found at www.binayaksen.net , www.freebinayaksen.org and http://www.aidboston.org/ On Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005: 1. The text of the law and its analysis by People’s Union for Democratic Rights can be found here: http://cpjc.wordpress.com/ 2. A law and its victim, Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta, Frontline, Oct-Nov 2008 http://www.hinduonnet.com/ 3. Caught between Naxals and police, Indian Express, June 11, 2008 http://in.news.yahoo.com/ Fact-finding reports on Salwa Judum can be obtained from the website for the Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh, http://cpjc.wordpress.com/ Letter to the Chhattisgarh government by over 50 international peace and justice groups can be found here: http://docs.aidindia.org/ |
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