Kerala: MEDICAL CAMPS FOR DR BINAYAK SEN’S RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
19 April 2008
The Kerala Swatantra Matsyathoyilali Federation (KSMTF) and Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign have decided to hold free medical camps in Kerala in a unique show of support for the release of well known health and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen.
On 14th May 2007, almost a year ago, Dr Sen was arrested by the Chattisgarh police under the draconian ‘Unlawful Activities Prevention Act’ on false charges of being a ‘Maoist’.
Almost a year later now Dr Sen continues to be in jail and hearings of the case against him in the Chattisgarh High Court have commenced. In the meanwhile Dr Sen, who has already lost 15 kilos in just ten months of imprisonment and is in poor health, languishing in jail for the sole crime of working with the poor and defending democratic rights.
“ The arrest of Dr Sen is a case of high handed behaviour of the BJP ruled Chattisgarh government against an internationally renowned doctor with three decades of public service” said T.Peter, President, KSMTF, C.Sarat Chandran, film maker and Satya Sivaraman of the Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign in a statement.
An alumnus of the Christian Medical College and of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr Sen is a respected physician much honoured for his self-sacrificing commitment to social causes. In December 2007, the Indian Academy of Social Sciences conferred on him the R. R. Keithan Gold Medal, as an “indefatigable defender of human rights and Gandhian social activist of rare courage and dedication”. Currently, he has been nominated for the Jonathan Mann Award 2008, the highest international award for health professionals excelling in human rights activities.
KSMTF plans to join health and human rights activists around India who are campaigning for Dr Sen’s release through a series of Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps to arouse public awareness about his case.
Over 125 men, women and children attended the first Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp held in New Delhi at the Jai Hind basti, a colony of ragpickers and domestic workers. Other camps are planned every month for the rest of 2008 in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Trivandrum and Kolkata.
The medical camps are also part of an effort to take forward Dr Sen’s innovative public health work to new areas and highlight the issues of nutrition, child health and the link between socio-economic rights and health. India has one of the worst health indicators in the world, even lower than that of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the areas of infant and maternal mortality.
T.Peter President, KSMTF Ph: 9447429243
C.Sarat Chandran Filmmaker 09446426433
Satya Sivaraman Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign Ph:09818514952
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BHOPAL ACTIVISTS SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH FREE BINAYAK SEN CAMPAIGN
FREE DR BINAYAK SEN CAMPAIGN
PRESS RELEASE
16 April 2008
In a show of solidarity with the campaign for the release of Dr Binayak Sen, a delegation of activists representing the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors visited the second Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp in New Delhi on 13 April.
Speaking to members of the Jai Hind community, where the medical camp was organized, Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action talked about Dr Sen’s important contribution to public health in Chattisgarh and his work on human rights. Dr Sen, renowned internationally for his humanitarian work, is currently detained by the Chattisgarh government on false charges of aiding the underground Maoist movement.
“To arrest a person of Dr Sen’s record of public service, non-violent social work and deep commitment to the poor is a complete travesty of justice” said Satinath Sarangi. He offered to hold medical camps in Bhopal in support of Dr Sen’s release through the Sambhavana clinic, which caters to over 30,000 people still suffering from the after effects of the gas disaster of 3 December 1984.
Other activists from Bhopal talked about the problems facing the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster. Around 300 such survivors, who have walked over 800 kilometers from Bhopal to New Delhi, are in the national capital to highlight their demands for setting up a Special Commission on Bhopal to address various issues affecting local people and to prosecute Dow Chemicals which inherited the criminal and other liabilities of Union Carbide, the US multinational responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy.
At the Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp over 150 patients from the Jai Hind community were treated for a variety of ailments – many of them linked to low nutrition, poor quality of drinking water and sanitation available in the area. The camp was organized by the Delhi based Sajha Manch and its associated organisations as part of a nationwide initiative for the release of popular health and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen.
“Training local youth in basic principles of medical care will be helpful to them as well as the community in general ” said Dr Jacob Puliyal, one of the doctors volunteering his services for the camp. Doctors participating in the Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps have offered to provide such training to youth from the Jai Hind community and this is expected to commence in May this year.
The initiative, of holding monthly Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps for the urban and rural poor, in cities and towns around the country – is meant to raise public awareness about Dr Sen’s detention under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and call for his unconditional release.
The camps are also part of an effort to take forward Dr Sen’s innovative public health work to new areas and highlight the issues of nutrition, child health and the link between socio-economic rights and health. According to a recent report by the news channel IBN/CNN over 6000 children die every day due to malnutrition in India, a situation worse than prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa.
Other Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps are planned among urban poor communities for April in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Kolkata.
For further information contact:
- Dunu Roy, New Delhi qadeeroy at vsnl.com Ph: 9910687627
- Satya Sivaraman, New Delhi satyasagar at gmail.com Ph: 9818514952
- Dr Rakhal Gaitonde, Chennai subharakhal at gmail.com Ph: 9940246089
- Dr Punyabrata Gun, Kolkata shramajibiswasthya at yahoo.co.in Ph: 9830922194
- Dr N.Devadasan, Bangalore deva at devadasan.com Ph: 9448491355
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Widespread condemnation of Dr Binayak Sen’s Solitary Confinement
FREE DR BINAYAK SEN CAMPAIGN
PRESS RELEASE
11 April 2008
Health and human rights groups from India and abroad have strongly condemned the unwarranted imposition of solitary confinement on renowned humanitarian activist Dr Binayak Sen by the Chattisgarh government since 15 March 2008 at the Raipur Jail.
Though Dr Sen’s status as a regular prisoner has now been restored, following widespread protests against the move, activists have called for a thorough official investigation of the fact that he was kept in isolation for nearly a month.
Police officials in Raipur have justified their action by claiming Dr Sen was kept in isolation ‘for his own security’ but failed to explain the nature or source of the threat to him as a regular prisoner.
According to a petition signed by hundreds of medical professionals, former colleagues and supporters of Dr Sen, solitary confinement not only violates the Indian Penal Code but also all axioms of justice and fairplay. Dr Sen has been kept in prison for the past eleven months under the Chattisgarh State Public Security Act, on false charges of aiding outlawed Maoist activity.
“Confining a person of Dr Sen’s stature to solitary confinement is very likely to be seen as vengefulness on the part of agents of the state and an obvious attempt to break the morale of a courageous critic” it said. Along with his work on public health for over three decades Dr Sen was also a human rights activist, being the national Vice President of the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties.
The petition, which calls for Dr Sen’s immediate release, also pointed out that such treatment was completely unwarranted as Dr Sen is an undertrial and not convicted of any crime and even convicted persons are protected by law from any cruel and unusual punishment. Quoting an Amnesty International document on the subject the petition said the imprisonment of a person in total isolation is not acceptable under international human rights standards.
The petitioners also expressed deep concern over the impact of such solitary confinement on the physical and mental health of Dr Sen, who during the course of his imprisonment has already lost much weight according to the jail records.
Dr. Sen is a respected physician much honoured for his self-sacrificing commitment to social causes and his unflinching defense of civil rights. An alumnus of the Christian Medical College and of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, he has received has received many awards for his public service. In December 2007, the Indian Academy of Social Sciences conferred on him the R. R. Keithan Gold Medal, as an “indefatigable defender of human rights and Gandhian social activist of rare courage and dedication”. Currently, he has been nominated for the Jonathan Mann Award 2008, the highest international award for health professionals excelling in human rights activities.
For further information contact:
- Satya Sivaraman satyasagar at gmail.com Ph: 9818514952
- Sabu George sabumg at vsnl.com Ph: 9810619901
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Petition Against Dr Binayak Sen’s Solitary Confinement
We the undersigned strongly condemn the imposition of solitary confinement on Dr Binayak Sen by the authorities of Raipur Jail in Chattisgarh since 15 March 2008.
To keep Dr Sen in solitary confinement not only violates the Indian Penal Code but also all principles of justice and fairplay.
It is unfortunate enough that Dr Sen, an internationally renowned humanitarian activist, has been kept in prison for the past eleven months on false charges under the Chattisgarh State Public Security Act, a law that violates the basic provisions of the Indian Constitution. To further subject him to solitary confinement is nothing but a sign of vengefulness on the part of the Raipur Jail and Chattisgarh police authorities and an obvious attempt to break his morale.
We would like to point out that such treatment is completely unwarranted as Dr Sen is an undertrial and not convicted of any crime. Even convicted persons are protected by law from any cruel and unusual punishment.
It is well established that confinement of any prisoner carries the risk of serious mental and physical harm and can amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The imprisonment of a person in total isolation is not acceptable under international human rights standards.
We would also like to express deep concern over the impact of such solitary confinment on the physical and mental health of Dr Sen, a heart patient, who during the course of his imprisonment has already lost over 15 kilograms in weight.
We expect the Chattisgarh Government to withdraw all charges against Dr Sen and release him from jail immediately. We will hold the authorities responsible for any harm that may befall Dr Sen during his detention, a deliberate act of blatant victimisation of one of India’s finest public spirited health and human rights activist.
Read More and sign the petition
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