International Coalition Hails Granting of Bail to Dr. Binayak Sen, and Demands Repeal of Repressive Laws


San Francisco, CA: The Free Binayak Sen coalition in the U.S. welcomes with great joy the bail granted to Dr. Binayak Sen by the Supreme Court of India, and congratulates the numerous activist, student and citizens groups in India that have worked tirelessly in support of Dr. Sen and other prisoners of conscience. An international coalition of over 50 human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Friends of South Asia, Association for India’s Development, and others, 22 Nobel laureates, and respected intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, George Galloway, Mahashweta Devi, have all called for the release of Dr. Sen.  

                The two-year long unjust incarceration of Dr.Sen finally ended on 25 May, 2009, and he is now reunited with his family and friends. In an interview shortly after his release, Dr. Sen noted: “I regard myself as an index case…a demonstration of what the government intends to do…”[i]. Indeed, Dr. Sen’s case served to demonstrate starkly the government’s assault on civil rights of citizens, and highlighted many inconsistencies and violations of due process by the Indian Legal and Executive system, as well as the Judiciary’s inability to call into question the violation of rule of law, and practice of violence by the State. As such, Dr. Sen’s case has functioned to bring to the fore the public’s indignation and frustration with the State machinery, and has thrown up grave questions about the reality of the relative independence of these branches of government. Raja Swamy, an activist with Friends of South Asia, said “Even as we celebrate the bail granted to Dr. Sen, we cannot forget that these larger issues about the integrity of government institutions still need to be resolved”.

                Dr.Sen’s case raises fundamental questions about citizens’ right to dissent in a democracy, and the state’s obligation to respond to such challenges. However, the promulgation of repressive laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (“UAPA”, a federal-level law), and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (“CSPSA”, a state-level law) both of which allow the State to bypass due process expose an alarming anti-democratic tendency to silence dissent. On the one hand, individuals working for human rights such as Dr. Binayak Sen, Ajay T.G., Lachit Bordoloi, Prashant Rahi, Shamim Modi, Abhay Sahoo, Bhukhan Singh, Niyamat Ansari, Govindan Kutty, Praful Jha, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Ashok Reddy, Dhanendra Bhurule, Naresh Bansode, many of whom have been charged under UAPA/CSPSA, have been kept under prolonged detention without bail. On the other hand, groups working for human rights, such as the Vanavasi Chetna Ashram in Chhattisgarh, which has been involved in the rehabilitation of hundreds of Adivasi families who had earlier fled their villages because of the violence unleashed by Salwa Judum, are also being targeted. On May 17, 2009 the government of Chhattisgarh bulldozed the premises of the VCA in an act of vindictive retaliation, and under the pretext that the Ashram was an unauthorized structure, although no verdict had yet been issued by the court which is considering the matter.

It is clear from the actions of the Chhattisgarh state government, and the support it receives from the center, that critiques of the Salwa Judum militia will not be tolerated even when it comes from persons of such stature as Dr. Sen. Salwa Judum's reign of terror has led to a virtual civil war in the state of Chhattisgarh, and has resulted in the displacement of at least 300,000 Adivasis (indigenous groups). Many human rights groups and independent citizen's groups such as the Asian Center for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, and the Indian National Human Rights Commission have documented in detail ongoing atrocities by Salwa Judum. The persecution of Dr. Sen must remind us that innumerable Adivasis continue to face even worse treatment at the hands of the Chhattisgarh government and Salwa Judum. These unnamed victims who do not enjoy the visibility of Dr. Sen or the VCA are the primary victims of the reign of state terror that prevails in the state of Chhattisgarh, and it is a fundamental responsibility of democratic forces to call attention to the plight of Chhattisgarh's Adivasi population. We recognize that the granting of bail to Dr. Sen represents a unique opportunity for the international community to pressure the Indian government to disband the militia and the legal apparatus that supports it, including the repressive UAPA and CSPSA. We also remind the government of Chhattisgarh that it is obligated to follow the directives of the Supreme Court of India, and the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission to help the displaced Adivasis return safely to their villages, provide just compensation for losses of their homes, livestock and crops, and rehabilitate their livelihoods, as well as support their efforts in holding their aggressors to legal accountability.

# # #
·         The International Coalition consists of:

Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, MIT
Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, San Francisco (www.asata.org)
ANSWER- Act Now to End War & Racism
Asian Law Alliance, San Jose, CA
Association for India’s Development (www.aidindia.org)
Association of South Asian Political Activists (ASAPA), UC Berkeley
Birmingham Anti-SEZ Campaign, UK
Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal
Boston Mobilization (www.bostonmobilization.org)
Cambridge Free Binayak Sen Group, UK
Campaign against Forced Displacement, UK (http://tinyurl.com/6mgnne)
Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH)
CMC Vellore Alumni Association-U.K. Branch
Defenders of the Environment and Ecology of Panjab (DEEP), UK
Dharma Megha, East Lansing, Michigan
Friends of South Asia, San Francisco, CA
Gadar Heritage Foundation, Fremont, CA
Hillingdon Asian Women's Communication Service, UK (www.hillingdonwomenscentre.org.uk)
India Foundation, East Lansing, Michigan
India Relief and Education Fund, Fremont, CA
Indian Muslim Council, USA (www.imc-usa.org)
Indian Progressive Study Group-L.A. (IPSG)
Indian Workers Association (GB)
International Accountability Project (www.accountabilityproject.org)
International Coalition for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB)
International League of People's Struggles, UK (www.ilps-web.com)
International Service Society, Okemos, Michigan
International South Asia Forum (INSAF), NYC
Massachusetts Global Action
Matahari: Eye of the Day
National Lawyers' Guild (www.nlg.org)
Our Developing World, Saratoga, CA
Peace and Human Rights Trust, UK
Peninsula Peace & Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA
Peoples Health Movement, USA
SAMAR
San Jose Peace & Justice Center, San Jose, CA
Sanhati (www.sanhati.com)
Scotland Against Criminalising Communities (SACC)
Seva International, Okemos, Michigan
Sikh American Heritage Organization
South Asian Alliance, UK (www.southasianalliance.org)
South Asians for Progressive Action (SAPA), Boston
South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Canada
South Asian Progressive Action Collective, Chicago (www.sapac.org)
South Asia Solidarity Group, UK (www.southasiasolidarity.org)
South Asia Solidarity Initiative, New York
Students for Bhopal (www.studentsforbhopal.org)
The 1857 Committee (http://1857.org.uk)
Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment, Okemos, Michigan
Vedanta Society of East Lansing, Michigan
Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF) www.wslfweb.org
Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom(WILPF)-San Jose
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]