[Reader-list] Fwd: PUDR statement

[Nagraj Adve]

                                        Peoples Union for Democratic Rights

Dear friends and comrades,
The recent countrywide demonstrations against the unfair verdict in the
Binayak Sen case have been really heartwarming. The demonstrations have
brought many of us together, who feel enraged and upset over the judgment.
Clearly, if our numbers continue to grow, we will soonbe in a position of
strength and will ensure the release of Binayak and manyothers.

The case against Binayak Sen hasbecome a focal point to oppose the attempts
by the state to criminalise civilrights activities. Yet, we strongly feel
that in order to make the entire campaign into a success we have to enlarge
the present focus from the individual,Binayak Sen, to include the
co-accused, Piyush Guha and Narayan Sanyal, and also take into consideration
the plight of others who are similarly imprisoned in unfair cases of
sedition.

Consider the following:
Piyush Guha, the supposed courierin this case, has never been granted bail.
He lost his parents in the course ofthese three years but was not given the
right to even attend to the last ritesof his parents. Piyush was kept in
illegal custody and tortured for five days and he only produced when the
Chhattisgarh PUCL issued a statement demandinghis whereabouts. His family
lost its breadwinner and his wife, Rupa Guha, hasbeen carrying out a lone
fight for three and a half years. Our efforts in demanding the release of
Binayak must include the release of Piyush Guha.

Narayan Sanyal, the otherco-accused has been in jail for five years already.
He is old and ailing and issuffering from a chronic and painful ailment,
fibromatosis. Despite directivesfrom the court, he has not received any
serious medical treatment in prison.The argument that his being a Maoist
ideologue is sufficient to keep him inprison for the rest of his life is
unfair, cruel and undemocratic particularlysince the other cases in which he
has been arrested have nearly collapsed. As has been pointed out by many,
the decision to charge him with sedition happenedonly after the police
arrested Binayak Sen. Narayan
Sanyal’s case (even his supposed role in the present one) is a fit case for
us to ask not only for hisrelease but also to demand a repeal of the ban
against CPI(Maoist).

Our campaign must focus on demanding the repeal of undemocratic ‘security’
legislations like UAPA, CSPSA etc or under unfair provisions of the IPC like
‘sedition’ (S 124 A) and ‘wagingwar’ (S 121 of IPC) . The most recent
conviction of Asit Sengupta, editor of the well known journal, World to Win
is most worrying. Sengupta was arrested by Chhattisgarh police (and
illegally detained, of course!) in January 2008 and never granted bail.  On
the same day when Binayak, Piyush and Sanyal were given life imprisonment,
the same day Asit Sengupta was convicted and sentenced to eight years
imprisonment for his work as an editor and publisher by another Raipur
court.  Kopa Kunjam, activist of Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (Dantewada) who was
working to re-settle displaced  Adivasis in Netra villa, has been implicated
in a murder case.  Nineactivists, including Kartam Joga of Adivasi Mahasbha,
campaigning against landgrab in Lohanmdiguda, (Bastar)  have been accused of
involvement in the attack on CRPF personnel.

There are innumerable incidents of this nature which are taking place in
Chattisgarh and elsewhere where joint operations are going on.

Friends, we needto fight together  to ensure that
1.      The entire miscarriage of justice begun in 2007 should be rectified
and all the victims should be unconditionally released and compensated for
their unfair stay in jail.
2.      Withdrawal of undemocratic ‘security’legislations like UAPA, CSPSA
etc
3.      Repeal of archaic and colonial provisions like sedition and waging
war  from the IPC
4.      Improvement of facilities in jails, particularlymedical treatment of

prisoners

Harish Dhawan and Paramjeet Singh
(Secretaries PUDR)
__._,_.___
 .

__,_._,___


-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Free Binayak Sen" group.
To post to this group, send an email to free-binayaksen at googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
free-binayaksen+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com<free-binayaksen%2Bunsubscribe at googlegroups.com>
.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/free-binayaksen?hl=en-GB.