[Reader-list] INTERNATIONAL COALITION DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF JAILED HUMAN RIGHTS CRUSADER IN INDIA

[Anivar Aravind]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE		

contact

somu at aidindia.org
mail at friendsofsouthasia.org, 408-480-5805

MEDIA ADVISORY
“FREE BINAYAK SEN!”
INTERNATIONAL COALITION DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF JAILED HUMAN RIGHTS 
CRUSADER IN INDIA
Solidarity Actions Planned in 10 North American and 3 European Cities

http://www.binayaksen.net/2008/05/international-coalition-demands-immediate-release-of-jailed-human-rights-crusader-in-india/

WHEN:  Tuesday, May 13th/ Wednesday, May 14th
WHERE:  In cities across the US, Canada and Europe	

WHAT:  A broad coalition of 37 organizations from US, UK and Canada have 
come together to demand immediate release of the jailed human rights 
activist, Dr. Binayak Sen, who was recently awarded the prestigious 
Jonathan Mann Award by the Global Health Council, Washington DC.  The 
coalition consists of human rights groups such as Amnesty USA (which has 
declared Dr. Sen a Prisoner of Conscience), health rights groups such as 
the People’s Health Movement, antiwar groups such as the ANSWER 
Coalition and the Boston Mobilization, student groups from Harvard and 
Berkeley, local peace and justice groups from a number of cities, as 
well as a large number of diasporic groups based in US, UK and Canada. 
(A complete listing of groups is available below).

May 13/14th , 2008, which mark one year of Dr. Sen’s undemocratic 
imprisonment, are being observed as Global Days of Action to highlight 
his situation.  In an unprecedented show of solidarity, coordinated 
actions are planned in 13 cities outside India.  These include 
Washington DC, New York City, San Francisco, Houston, Pittsburgh, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston in the US; Toronto and Vancouver in 
Canada; and London, Paris and Stockholm in Europe.  More details about 
local actions are given below.

Dr Binayak Sen is a renowned pediatrician, public health specialist and 
the national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties 
(PUCL).  Dr. Sen is an activist with a lifelong commitment to the issues 
of community health and human rights, who was arrested on false charges 
of sedition last year, joining dozens of other human rights activists in 
Indian jails, charged under repressive "Black Laws."  Dr. Sen earned the 
ire of the government for opposing Salwa Judum, a private militia 
movement armed by the Government to combat 'Maoist insurgency'. Salwa 
Judum has led to a spiraling increase in violence, which has displaced 
over 100,000 indigenous people over the last 3 years.

The challenges faced by human rights activists working in Chhattisgarh 
were thrown into prominence again last week, with the arrest of another 
activist with PUCL, Chhattisgarh, Ajay TG, under the same draconian law 
that was used to detain Dr. Sen and which grants unlimited power to the 
government to apprehend people on the merest suspicion of guilt.  In 
addition to the release of Dr. Sen, the coalition is also asking for the 
repealing of these repressive laws, as well as the disbanding of Salwa 
Judum.

Over 4000 signatures from individuals around the world have also been 
collected on petitions asking for the release of Dr. Sen. 
Internationally acclaimed intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky, 
Arundhati Roy, George Galloway, Mahashweta Devi have all joined in 
urging the Indian government to free Binayak Sen and stop the harassment 
of human rights activists.

###
For more information, visit www.aidboston.org/FreeBinayakSen

Endorsing Organizations:
· Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, MIT 
(www.alliancesouthasia.org)
· Amnesty International, USA (www.amnestyusa.org)
· A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism -San 
Francisco (www.answersf.org)
· Association for India’s Development (www.aidindia.org)
· Association of South Asian Political Activists (ASAPA), Berkeley 
(http://asapa.berkeley.edu)
· Asian Law Alliance (www.asianlawalliance.org)
· Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal (www.boston4bhopal.org)
· Boston Mobilization (www.bostonmobilization.org)
· Birmingham Anti-SEZ Campaign, UK
· Campaign against Forced Displacement, UK 
(http://www.ilps-web.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79)
· Campaign to Stop Funding Hate: CSFH (www.stopfundinghate.org)
· CMC Vellore Alumni Association - UK Branch
· DEEP - Defenders of the Environment and Ecology of Panjab, UK
· Friends of South Asia: FOSA (www.friendsofsouthasia.org)
· Gadar Heritage Foundation, Fremont (http://gadar.homestead.com/)
· Hillingdon Asian Women's Communication Service, UK 
(www.hillingdonwomenscentre.org.uk)
· Indian Workers Association (GB)
· India Relief and Education Fund, Fremont (http://iref.homestead.com)
· International Accountability Project 
(http://www.accountabilityproject.org)
· International League of People's Struggles, UK (www.ilps-web.com)
· International South Asia Forum: INSAF, NYC (www.insaf.net)
· Massachusetts Global Action (www.MassGlobalAction.org)
· Matahari: Eye of the Day (www.eyeoftheday.org)
· Our Developing World (http://www.magiclink.net/~odw)
· Peace and Human Rights Trust: UK
· Peninsula Peace & Justice Center (www.peaceandjustice.org)
· Peoples Health Movement, USA (www.phmovement.org/cms)
· Sanhati (www.sanhati.com)
· San Jose Peace & Justice Center (www.sanjosepeace.org)
· SANSAD (South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy), Vancouver, 
Canada (http://sansad.org/Sansad)
· South Asian Alliance, UK: (www.southasianalliance.org)
· South Asians Stepping in Solidarity, Harvard: SASS
· South Asia Solidarity Group, UK: (www.southasiasolidarity.org)
· Students for Bhopal (www.studentsforbhopal.org)
· The 1857 Committee (http://1857.org.uk)
· Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF) (www.wslfweb.org)
· Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - San Jose 
(http://www.wilpf.org/US_WILPF)

Details for Actions:
Baltimore/JHU: Talk on Dr. Binayak Sen followed by signature campaign. 
May 13th, 2008 (1:30 to 2:30 pm) School of Public Health [Contact Email 
: Manjunath - mshankar at jhsph.edu or 952-201-8679]
Boston: Vigil @ Harvard Square on May 13, 2008 (7pm) [Contact Email: 
freebsen at gmail.com]
Houston/Dallas: Stay Tuned.
London: Vigil in front of Indian High Commission on May 13, 2008 from 
1-3pm. [Contact Email: sasg at southasiasolidarity.org]
New York: Protest in front of Indian Consulate on May 13, 2008 
(12:30pm). [Contact Emails: Ashwini: akr7 at columbia.edu or Murli: 
mnatrajan at yahoo.com]
Paris: Meet with the Indian Consulate staff to voice concerns and 
deliver petitions on May 13, 2008. [Contact Email: Sapna - sapnamg at 
gmail.com]
Philadelphia: Candle light vigil @ 40th and Locust street field on May 
13, 2008 (7:30). [Contact Email: AID.Philadelphia at gmail.com]
Pittsburgh: Candlelight Vigil @ Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes 
Avenue on May 13, 2008 (7:30pm) [Contact Email: maryganguli at yahoo.com 
or sparun at gmail.com]
San Francisco: Protest in front of the Consulate General of India, 540, 
Arguello Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94118 at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 
13th, 2008. [Contact Email: mail at friendsofsouthasia.org]
Stockholm: Meet with the Indian Consulate staff to voice concerns and 
deliver petitions on May 13, 2008. [Contact Email: Pradyumna - 
pradyumna.singh at gmail.com]
Vancouver: Protest action at the Indian Consulate on May 14th, 2008. 
[Contact Email: Hari Sharma of SANSAD - sansad at sansad.org]
Washington DC: Protest in front of Indian Embassy, 2107 Massachusetts 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 on May 13, 2008 (4pm). [Contact: Somu @ 
703-728-8987 or Somu at aidindia.org]