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

[radhikarajen at vsnl.net]

Hi all,

 it is indeed sad that in free independent society, the elected representatives and the executive use the draconian methods to suppress and oppress the dissent as in the case of Binayak Sen, forgetting that it is the lack of good governance and ignoring the aam admi that has given rise to the dissent, and those who articulate dissent are treated in a way such as this.

  It also should be noted that in Nandigram, an elected representative, MP at that using the goon cadres to oppress the innocent voters in panchayath elections, brow-beating high ranking DIG to safeguard the kickbacks recieved from indonesian industrial group for the lands in nandigram, just as CM keeps on saying that the SEZ is shelved, what is the need for cadres to use violence to brow beat the villagers is ironical agonising query. !

   Irrespective of the political parties it is indeed sad that CPM or any damn party in rule forgets that they are elected to give good governance and not violence promotion being in rule.

----- Original Message -----
From: Anivar Aravind <anivar.aravind at gmail.com>
Date: Monday, May 12, 2008 11:09 am
Subject: [Reader-list] INTERNATIONAL COALITION DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OFJAILED HUMAN RIGHTS CRUSADER IN INDIA
To: Greenyouth <greenyouth at googlegroups.com>, reader-list at sarai.net, fourth-estate-critique at googlegroups.com, grassroots-in-action-owner at googlegroups.com, activism-news-network at googlegroups.com, Young Activists <youngactivists at lists.riseup.net>

> 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]
> 
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