Weak states make bad laws and kill the messenger

by Maja Daruwala
TRIBUNE INDIA

And the award goes to….. oops he is not here tonight ladies and gentlemen because he is in jail in India held under an infamously bad law. Human rights activist and public health specialist Dr Binayak Sen was not there in Washington on May 29 to collect his 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights.

He could not shake hands with the international jury of public health professionals who chose him for this singular honour. He could not hear the fine citation spoken in appreciation of his exemplary services to the poor and tribal communities and for his unwavering commitment to civil liberties and human rights.

Twenty-two Nobel Prize winning scientists and economists from across the globe had appealed to the Indian government that Dr Sen be allowed to receive the award in person in Washington DC. But Dr Sen remained in Raipur Jail, Chattisgarh. He has been there for over a year. Read more

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June 12, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports | Leave a Comment 

SHUT UP THE VOICES OF DISSENT

The Telegraph
OPED
By detaining Binayak Sen for months, is the State sending out an ominous signal to those who work for human rights? asks Rajashri Dasgupta

t is a ploy undertaken by the State, time and again, to browbeat dissent and distract attention from its own misdeeds. Since May 14 last year, Binayak Sen, a pediatrician who has quietly dedicated his life to the service of some of India’s most impoverished communities, especially indigenous tribes and mine-workers, has been languishing in Raipur Central Jail in Chattisgarh under trumped-up charges. For his devoting more than three decades of selfless service to the rural poor, the State has charged the 58-year-old doctor with sedition and conspiracy to wage war, for being a “dangerous Naxalite” and for helping the Maoist movement — charges that could fetch him life imprisonment.

Although the State seems to find Binayak Sen so dangerous as to keep him in solitary confinement, denying him bail and basic amenities, the rest of the world does not. Ironically, even a year ago, only a few knew about his exceptional work, but in trying to stifle his spirit, the State has made him famous, and turned him into a hero. After his imprisonment, Sen has won the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights, becoming the first South Asian to receive this prestigious award. The appeal by 22 Nobel laureates to the prime minister to allow Sen to travel to Washington to collect the award on May 29 left the State unmoved.

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June 10, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports, articles | Leave a Comment 

Cover story in Siliconeer magazine

Siliconeer Magazine June issue on Dr. Binayak Sen Latests Issue of Siliconeer magazine contains 2 great stories and editorial on Dr. Binayak Sen.

We Compiled a PDF with relevant articles from the siliconeer Magazine (fair use) . You can also read Articles as text below

Download the PDF(5.5 MB)

Articles

  • Editorial: A PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE
  • Cover story: Free Binayak Sen: Global Support for a rights activist : Article by Ranjitha Moorthy
  • A Monopoly on Violance : Salwa Judum : Article by Anu Mandavilli.

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June 6, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports | 1 Comment 

RIGHTS-INDIA: State-Sponsored Repression, Say Human Rights Activists

BANGALORE, Jun 3 (IPS) - The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), a 32-year-old Indian human- rights group, has decried India’s judiciary for refusing bail to ‘jungle doctor’ and human rights activist Binayak Sen. Sen is widely-respected for his 30 years of healthcare work among tribals in the central Indian State of Chhattisgarh, and has criticised the State for the mass-eviction of thousands of tribal villagers.

Sen, who received the 2008 Global Health Council’s Jonathan Mann award for his work in health and human rights, was jailed one year ago on charges of “hatching a conspiracy” and abetting terrorism. Sen denies the government’s allegations, and refused bail in a high-profile case that has reached the Supreme Court.

Human rights activists say the government’s charges — filed under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005 and the Indian government’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (1967) — are not just weak, but trumped up.

Twenty-two Nobel laureates’ appeals to the Indian government to allow Sen to receive the Jonathan Mann award in person on 29 May 2008 went unheeded.

“It is a sad reflection on the courts, reflective of their own mindset of the phantom of national security that Sen cannot be granted bail,” said prominent rights activist-academician K. Balagopal of Human Rights Forum.
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June 4, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports, Protests | Leave a Comment 

IBN Live Video Report on Binayak Sen

Here is a brief report that appeared all day yesterday on the Indian TV channel IBN Live, showing a clip of Dr. Ilina’s speech accepting the Jonathan Mann Award on behalf of Dr. Binayak Sen in Washington DC on May 29.

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May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports | Leave a Comment 

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