Dear Friends,
Please find below and attached an appeal for
organizations to endorse an international day of
solidarity action for Binayak Sen on May 13, marking
one year of his unjust imprisonment. We are a broad
coalition of organizations and individuals based in
different countries and hope to put up a massive
collective effort aimed at the embassies as well as
the press to exert pressure for his release. His trial
begins on the 30th. There is a lot being planned in
India as well.
As you may know, one of the contacts for Indian
coordination : Satya Sivaraman - satyasagar@gmail.
com
APPEAL TO OBSERVE ONE YEAR OF DR. BINAYAK SEN'S UNJUST
DETENTION
On May 13th/14th, 2008 Dr. Binayak Sen, an activist
with a lifelong commitment to the issues of community
health and human rights, will complete his first year
of unjust imprisonment at the Raipur Central jail in
Chhattisgarh. Organizations across the globe will be
holding events on the evening of May 13th, 2008 to
mark one year of his imprisonment. We appeal to your
organization to hold rallies, candlelight vigils or
lectures against his unconstitutional detention.
Please let us know at freebsen@gmail. com if your
organization would endorse this appeal.
Dr. Sen's life has been focused on providing
healthcare to the most marginalized sections of the
society. By setting up the unique Shaheed Hospital,
the community-driven work of Rupantar and his broader
involvement with Jan Swasthya Abhiyan – the Indian
circle of the People's Health Movement, Dr. Sen has
made healthcare available to people who have been
ignored by government or private systems.
As the State Secretary of People's Union for Civil
Liberties of Chhattisgarh and the national Vice
President, Dr. Sen has uncovered human rights
violations by the state and other armed groups. He has
highlighted starvation deaths, dysentery epidemics,
poor conditions of under trial prisoners, custodial
deaths and extra judicial killings. Dr. Sen has also
worked on the issues of right to food, work, health
and education. He has been amongst the most vocal
opponents of Salwa Judum, a private militia movement
armed by the Chhattisgarh Government to combat Maoist
insurgency – that has contributed to a spiraling
increase in violence and displacement of thousands of
tribals. Even the Supreme Court of India has issued a
strong disapproval of the Salwa Judum, citing concerns
similar to those raised by Dr. Sen.
On May 14th, 2007 Dr. Sen was arrested in Raipur under
the repressive Chhattisgarsh Special Public Security
Act, 2005 (CSPSA) and the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act 2004 (UAPA) on charges of sedition,
conspiracy to wage war against the state and
conspiracy to commit other offences. The continuing
detention of an activist committed to non-violence and
social justice is a mockery of justice itself. He now
remains imprisoned for a year without trial or bail,
including a cruel spell of solitary confinement.
Dr. Sen is victim to an increasing trend of arresting
human rights activists in India for challenging state
authority. 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.
We appeal to the international community to speak out
against the stifling of pro-poor and democratic voices
such as Dr. Binayak Sen's. The international community
has already shown its appreciation by bestowing the
Jonathan Mann award for public health and human rights
on him. In addition, the UAPA and the CSPSA must be
repealed, and the Chhattisgarh government should stop
its support for Salwa Judum.
Endorsed by:
Association of India's Development (www.aidindia.
org)
Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, MIT
(www.alliancesouthas ia.org)
Friends of South Asia: FOSA (www.friendsofsoutha
sia.org)
International South Asia Forum: INSAF, NYC
(www.insaf.net)
Peoples Health Movement, USA (http://www.phmoveme
nt.org/cms)
Campaign to Stop Funding Hate: CSFH
(www.stopfundinghate .org)
Sanhati (http://sanhati. com)
For more information, please see:
* A petition to free Dr. Sen: http://www.petition
online.com/ Binayak/petition .html
* Statement of solidarity with Dr. Sen from
internationally renowned intellectuals:
http://monthlyrevie w.org/0607sen. htm
* Announcement of the Jonathan Mann Award for Dr.
Sen: http://www.globalhe alth.org/ news/article/ 9833
* Statement by Human Rights Watch http://hrw.org/
english/docs/ 2008/04/29/ india18681. htm
* Resources on Dr. Sen and the status of the
trial:
o http://www.freebina yaksen.org/
o http://www.savebina yak.ukaid.
org.uk/index. html
* An article on Dr. Sen's imprisonment in the
context of the political economy of Chhattisgarh:
http://mrzine. monthlyreview. org/amr140607. html
* Medico Friend Circle Brochure on Dr. Binayak
Sen:
http://www.mail- archive.com/ greenyouth@
googlegroups. com/msg03256. html
* An analysis of Dr. Sen's case from the PUCL
website: http://www.pucl. org/Topics/ Human-rights/
2007/sen- case-analysis. html
* Background information on the Chhattisgarh
Special Public Security Act, 2006 http://oldcontent.
newswatch. in/news-analyses /attacks- on-scribes/
3893.html
* Background information on the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act, 2004 from Human Rights
Features: http://www.hrdc. net/sahrdc/ hrfeatures/
HRF106.htm
* Information on other activists under the UAPA,
2004:
o Amnesty International on journalists
Prashant Rahi, Govindan Kutty and Praful Jha:
http://www.amnestyu sa.org/document. php?lang=
e&id=ENGASA200032008
o Frontline Defenders on Lachit Bordoloi of
MASS: http://www.frontlin edefenders. org/node/ 1360
o Background on the arrest of Vernon
Gonsalves, Shridhar Shrinivasan and Adv KD Rao:
http://www.lawyersc ollective. org/content/ letters-0
o Background on Arun Ferreira
http://in.news. yahoo.com/ hindustantimes/ 20080411/
r_t_ht_nl_ general/tnl- naxal-prisoners-
protest-torture- in-n-7244580. html
Information about Salwa Judum: When the State Makes
War on its Own People—A report from human rights
organizations in India, 2006 http://www.pucl.
org/Topics/ Human-rights/ 2006/slawajudum. htm
·
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