International coalition demands repeal of repressive laws on one-year anniversary of Dr. Binayak Sen’s unjust incarceration
Association for India’s Development
Friends of South Asia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2008
Send a FREE FAX NOW to PM/CM: http://petitions.aidindia.org/binayaksen/index.php
Protest Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxSoqWab0vE
Pictures : http://gallery.aidindia.org/gallery/gallery2/v/chhattisgarh_001/Binayak+Sen+Solidarity/
San Francisco, CA: Hundreds of Activists from a broad coalition of 50 international human rights groups that includes Amnesty International, National Lawyers’ Guild and SANSAD (South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy), Canada, took to the streets on two Global days of Action, May 13 & 14, to protest the continued incarceration of human rights crusader, Dr. Binayak Sen. Simultaneous protests were held outside the Indian consulates in London, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Vancouver, while activists in Paris, Stockholm, Boston, Pittsburgh, Houston and many other cities organized vigils, talks, and film screenings to raise awareness about the ongoing persecution of human rights activists. Over 4000 signatures from individuals around the world have been collected on petitions asking for the release of Dr. Sen. Internationally acclaimed intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, George Galloway, and Mahashweta Devi have all joined in urging the Indian government to free Binayak Sen and stop the harassment of human rights activists. Further, in an unprecedented move, twenty-two Nobel Prize winning scientists and economists have also appealed to the Indian government to release Dr Binayak Sen enabling him to go and receive the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights in Washington later this month. All these documents were submitted to Indian authorities along with hundreds of faxes by individuals demanding the release of Dr.Sen*.
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RIGHTS-INDIA: Top Activist’s Detention Blot on Democracy
By Praful Bidwai
IPS NEWS
NEW DELHI, May 15 (IPS) - Protests are mounting all over the world against the year-long detention of Dr. Binayak Sen, a distinguished Indian human rights and health activist, under draconian laws in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
Sen, national vice president and Chhattisgarh general secretary of the well-known People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), was arrested under allegations of helping left-wing extremists, known in this country as Naxalites.
The charges shocked human rights organisations and citizens’ groups, which on independent investigation, have found them totally fictitious. They believe that the Chhattisgarh government filed them to harass Sen and set a horribly negative example for all civil liberties activists and intimidate them.
Sen is probably India’s first human rights defender to have faced such prolonged detention.
Sen’s detention raises serious questions about the content and quality of democracy in India, and the state’s failure to respect liberties and fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It also points to links between human rights violations and the government’s social and economic policies.
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Set Binayak free : The Hindu Editorial
Opinion - Editorials
The Hindu
It’s been a whole year since Binayak Sen was arrested on charges of conspiracy to wage war against the Indian state and commit other crimes. The general secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties is being held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Chhhatisgarh Special Public Security Act, which make the grant of bail extremely difficult. The principal case stems from a ‘confession’ made by a Kolkata-based businessman named Piyush Guha relating to three unsigned letters, purportedly written by the jailed Maoist leader Narayan Sanyal, recovered from his possession; the letters were allegedly handed over to Mr. Guha by Dr. Sen. This, the police say, is evidence of Dr. Sen’s deep involvement with the Maoists. Mr. Sanyal has been in jail in Raipur since 2006. Dr. Sen visited him 33 times as general secretary of the PUCL and in his capacity as a physician since the 70-year-old Maoist leader had a medical condition requiring surgery. The police accuse Dr. Sen of being a courier for Mr. Sanyal. Dr. Sen’s lawyers strenuously contest this allegation and it is surely relevant that Mr. Guha told a magistrate at the first opportunity that he made no confession and was made to sign blank papers under duress. Read more
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Call to drop all charges against Binayak Sen: The Hindu
Aarti Dhar
The Hindu, Front Page
15th May 2008
His detention is a vengeful act against a public spirited doctor, say intellectuals
Dr. Sen was arrested on May 14 last year for his alleged support to the Maoists
Rights activists want Chhattisgarh State Public Security Act scrapped
NEW DELHI: Intellectuals and artists across the country rallied behind jailed human rights activist Binayak Sen on the first anniversary of his arrest on Wednesday, even as they urged the Chhattisgarh government to drop all charges against him. Read more
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Protest Pictures and Videos from all over the Globe
Protest Video from Candle light Vigil Boston
From Artists for Human Rights New Delhi
Protest Photo Galleries
Check the galleries in AID Boston website
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Gallery
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- UPDATE On Dr. Binayak Sen’s TRIAL (15 Sep 2008)
- The Right to a Fair Trial Compromised in the Name of Security: The Case of Dr. Binayak Sen
- Updates from Google News
- Chhattisgarh DGP under Fire for Human Rights Record at Berkeley ... - MyNews.in
- BINAYAK SEN - ZNet
- Dada (Original version - English) - MediaPart
- Spiritual guru offers to mediate between government, Maoists - Fresh News
- Community to protest Indian police official's participation in UC ... - World Sikh News
- Living to tell the tale of Tyranny - Express Buzz
- Reports From Indian Media
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