December 2021 – Page 3 – free them all

Human Rights Day: BK16 Solidarity (in pictures) / Is there really cause for celebration?

10/12/2021 Asha

Raipur and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)

10/12/2021

By PUCL Chhattisgarh

PUCL Chhattisgarh together with several other unions and organisations organised events in Raipur and Bilaspur on the occasion of Human Rights day. Over 200 people were present in both cities. They also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and governor of the state
Read PUCL press release (hindi)

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Worldwide Campaign

‘Speaking Up Is Not Anti-National’: Global Groups Condemn Attacks on India’s Rights Defenders

10/12/2021

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

‘Every single government authority, whose job it is to safeguard human rights, has actively undermined them.’
The Indian diaspora and 30 international human rights groups across over 15 countries on Friday – on the occasion of Human Rights Day – came together for a global campaign to condemn growing attacks on human rights in India. In a statement, they advocated for the repeal of laws that are criminalising the defence of human rights and jailing human rights defenders in the country.
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Berlin and Goettingen, Germany

10/12/2021

India Justice Project (IJP) & IndienKoGruppe

Through an interactive street performance on 10 December, International Human Rights Day, at Rathaus Neukoelln in Berlin, the India Justice Project called for solidarity with imprisoned human rights defenders in India.
Read IJP press release

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Goettingen

Release intellectuals, writers arrested under UAPA: Farm outfit

11/12/2021

Times of India / by Neel Kamal

Hours before winding up the year-long farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders, farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday observed the international human rights day and demanded the release of all intellectuals and writers arrested under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishad case and Delhi riots cases.
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Video

By Neha Dixit (Dec 11)
+++ The fabulous Navsharan Singh speaks of Sudha Bharadwaj’s release as several women farmers gather at the Bibi Gulaab Kaur stage to wrap up the 15 month long protest and return home victorious +++
Watch video

Human Rights Day: Is there really cause for celebration?

10/12/2021

Bar & Bench / by Areeb Uddin Ahmed, Aditya AK

In the face of what has come to pass in the recent past, as human rights continue to be sacrificed at the altar of national security and other reasons, we ask ourselves whether there really is cause for celebration.
Every December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day, in honour of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document that serves as the blueprint for the freedoms assured to persons across the world.
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The charges against Sudha Bharadwaj

10/12/2021 Asha

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Allegations are mainly based on documents purportedly retrieved from electronic devices seized in the case.
… Police had charged her with recruiting for the CPI-Maoist, mobilising funds for the outfit and meeting “undercover” operatives. Allegations are mainly based on documents purportedly retrieved from electronic devices seized in the case.
Read more

Also read:
● In Bhima-Koregaon Case, More Damning Signs of Planted Evidence (article14 / April 2021)
● Indian activists jailed on terrorism charges were on list with surveillance targets (Washington Post / July 2021)
● Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)

Activist Sudha Bharadwaj walks out of jail after over three years / Spontaneous Celebrations

09/12/2021 Asha

Pic: Sudha Bharadwaj, after being released

Chhattisgarh: People Gather after Sudha’s Release

09/12/2021

In Chhattisgarh, spontaneous celebrations as workers wait for “Sudha didi”

09/12/2021

Newslaundry / by Prateek Goyal

As news spread about the Supreme Court rejecting the NIA’s plea against the bail granted to activist Sudha Bharadwaj on Tuesday, a large group of workers, draped in yellow and gray uniforms, began celebrating at Burah Pandal opposite the ACC Limited cement factory in the industrial town of Bhilai. It was not the only spontaneous gathering of workers in Chhattisgarh to acknowledge the relief granted to their beloved Sudha “didi”.
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Lawyer-Activist Sudha Bharadwaj Released After Over 3 Years In Jail

09/12/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Lawyer and well-known tribal rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj walked out of Byculla women’s prison today after over 1000 days of incarceration in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad caste violence Case.
Bharadwaj was arrested on August 28, 2018.
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Activist Sudha Bharadwaj walks out of jail after over three years

09/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The NIA court has asked her to not make any statements to the media.
Lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, was released from Mumbai’s Byculla women’s jail on Thursday, NDTV reported. Bharadwaj was arrested in August 2018, and was granted default bail by the Bombay High Court last week.
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#SudhaBharadwaj (Dec 9)

By Prashant Bhushan:
+++ Welcome back Sudha Bharadwaj, the indefatigable crusader for human rights for the downtrodden, after spending over 3 years in jail on trumped up charges. One day,your tormentors will be held to account. Hope others similarly jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case are also released soon +++

By Jignesh Mevani:
+++ Where bail not jail is the rule, Sudha Bharadwaj had to spend three years in jail for her speech that has been alleged to cause voilence. We urge the courts for early release of all those you have been made political scapegoats of the highest order under draconian laws like UAPA +++

By Rana Ayyub:

By NAPM:
+++ NAPM salutes the determination of trade unionist & people’s lawyer #SudhaBharadwaj, as she walks free from jail after 3 yrs of arbitrary incarceration, amidst harsh bail conditions. It is high time all activists jailed in ‘Bhima Koregaon’ case are immediately released.#RepealUAPA +++

…

IAMC, HfHR welcome release of Sudha Bharadwaj

10/12/2021

TwoCircles.net / by IAMC and HfHR

Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group committed to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), an advocate for pluralism, civil and human rights in South Asia and North America, rooted in the values of the Hindu faith, have welcomed the release of renowned Indian human rights defender and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj on December 9 after being incarcerated for more than three years without trial.
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India among countries classified as ‘repressed’ in global report / 293 journalists imprisoned globally

09/12/2021 Asha

India among countries classified as ‘repressed’ in global civil ratings report

09/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

India features on the list of nations with “repressed” democratic values in a report released by South African non-profit organization Civicus ahead of the United States summit on democracy scheduled to start from December 9…
In India, the report noted, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, was abused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep several people “in pre-trial detention on baseless charges and deny them bail”.
The report mentioned the detentions made under UAPA in the Bhima Koregaon case, including those of activists Sudha Bharadwaj and Stan Swamy.
Read more
Read full report

Record number of 293 journalists imprisoned globally in 2021, says report

09/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The data published by the Committee to Protect Journalists also said 24 journalists were killed this year till December 1 for their work….
The Committee to Protect Journalists report also showed that seven journalists were behind bars in India. These include Siddique Kappan, Manan Gulzar Dar, Aasif Sultan, Rajeev Sharma, Tanveer Warsi, and Bhima Koregaon case accused Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde.
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PUCL Welcomes Bail for Sudha Bharadwaj / Statement by Workers Unions

08/12/2021 Asha

PUCL Welcomes Bail for Sudha Bharadwaj

08/12/2021

PUCL / by People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL)

The PUCL welcomes the short order of the Supreme Court yesterday, 07th December, 2021, dismissing the SLP filed by the NIA which challenged the grant of statutory bail to Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, a committed activist lawyer and member of PUCL. The PUCL sees this important order and the order of the Bombay High Court which was under challenge, as a vindication of the long campaign against the UAPA by the PUCL and other allied groups.
Read full statement

On the granting of bail to Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj by the Bombay High Court

05/12/2021

ReleaseSudhaBharadwaj.net/ by CMM-MKC and other workers unions

On the 1st of December 2021, after having spent three years in jail on fabricated charges in the Bhima Koregaon case, Human Rights activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj was granted bail by the Bombay High Court. We the undersigned unions and workers collectives welcome the judgement. It is a great relief for the working people of Chhattisgarh who have consistently campaigned against the illegal arrest of Sudha Bharadwaj and continuously demanded her release.
Full statement

Sudha Bharadwaj To Be Released After NIA Court Sets Bail Conditions

08/12/2021 Asha

Sudha Bharadwaj To Be Released After NIA Court Sets Bail Conditions

08/12/2021

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

The court has directed Bharadwaj from refraining from making any media statements on the ongoing Elgar Parishad trial.
The special National Investigating Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday, December 8, imposed a series of bail conditions on academic and rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who spent over three years in Maharashtra prisons. Bharadwaj, one of 16 persons arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, was granted default bail by the Bombay high court last week.
Bharadwaj is likely to be released from Byculla women’s prison tomorrow on completion of bail procedures.
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Activist Sudha Bharadwaj can be released on bail bond of Rs 50,000, rules NIA court

08/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court allowed Bharadwaj to file a application for the verification of her address so that she can be released on Wednesday itself.
A National Investigation Agency court on Wednesday ruled that lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj can be released from jail after furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and one or more sureties in the Bhima Koregaon case, reported Live Law.
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Special NIA Court Paves Way For Sudha Bharadwaj’s Release, Sets Bail Conditions

08/12/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

She has been allowed provisional cash bail for a period of one month, disallowed from speaking to the media.
A special NIA Court on Wednesday decided the bail conditions to be imposed on Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad accused Sudha Bharadwaj. She was granted default bail by the Bombay High Court, on December 1.
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Sudha Bharadwaj: NIA court sets bail conditons for release; bail bond of ₹50.000, no statements to media

08/12/2021

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

She should also not make any contact with any co-accused or any other persons involved in similar activities, or make any international phone calls.
The special court under National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act on Wednesday framed the bail conditions to be followed by Bhima Koregaon case accused Sudha Bharadwaj for her release on default bail.
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Even after Stan Swamy’s death, the fight to get justice for Jharkhand undertrials is still alive

08/12/2021 Asha

Scroll.in / by Riddhi Dastidar, IndiaSpend.com

While the fight has faltered, Swamy’s friends and colleagues are taking forward the work he had lived and died for.
“Until his last breath, Stan had hope in the judiciary,” recalled Sheela*, a Delhi-based lawyer who asked to be anonymous for fear of being targeted. “He was waiting for the July 3 hearing where his interim bail plea was to be taken up. I think when that did not happen, he finally lost hope.”
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Surendra Gadling Says Jail Authorities Denying Him Medicines

07/12/2021 Asha

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

“The non-availability of medicines and hot water is posing a danger to my life,” the lawyer wrote in a letter to the additional director general of prisons.
In the latest instance of inhumane treatment meted out to the accused in the Elgar-Parishad case, lawyer Surendra Gadling has accused the Taloja central jail superintendent of blocking his supply of ayurvedic medicines, which he had been permitted to access by the trial court.
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Video: The Prison Song of Surendra Gadling

hindi | 11min | 2021

In August, when human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling was released on interim bail for a week, he made a quick visit to the Nagpur sessions court to meet his colleagues and friends. 51- year-old Gadling, a well-known criminal lawyer in Nagpur, was once a cultural activist, who sang songs of political resistance. The 11- minutes- long rendition tells you what it means to be incarcerated in Indian prisons. From food, water, to medical care, everything is a struggle, Gadling narrates. The song was recorded by one of Gadling’s colleagues and was made available to The Wire after obtaining his consent.
Watch video

Supreme Court dismisses NIA’s appeal, confirms Sudha Bharadwaj’s release on bail

07/12/2021 Asha

SC dismisses NIA’s appeal, confirms Sudha Bharadwaj’s release on bail

07/12/2021

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for the release of activist-lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj as it dismissed the appeal filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against the Bombay High Court’s order granting her default bail in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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Sudha Bharadwaj bail: Supreme Court rejects NIA appeal against default bail granted by Bombay High Court

07/12/2021

Bar & Bench / by Debayan Roy

The top court said that extension of time for investigation and detention under provisions of Section 43D(2) of the UAPA and Section 167(2) of CrPC could have only been done by the special court hearing NIA cases.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenging the Bombay High Court order granting default bail to lawyer activist Sudha Bharadwaj in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case [National Investigation Agency v. Sudha Bharadwaj].
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Supreme Court Dismisses NIA’s Plea Challenging Default Bail To Sudha Bharadwaj In Bhima Koregaon Case

07/12/2021

Live Law / by Srishti Ojha

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by National Investigation Agency challenging the default bail grantedto lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj by the Bombay High Court on December 1, after over three years of her arrest in the Bhima Koregaon case.
A Bench comprising Justice UU Lalit, Justice Ravindra Bhat and Justice Bela Trivedi observed that there was no reason to interfere with the Bombay High Court’s order and dismissed the NIA’s Special Leave Petition.
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Supreme Court dismisses NIA plea challenging default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj

07/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court said it had no reason to interfere in the bail granted by the Bombay High Court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the National Investigation Agency’s plea challenging the default bail granted to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj by the Bombay High Court in the Bhima Koregaon case, Live Law reported.
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‘The Point Is Not to Surrender’: The Sudha Bharadwaj I Know

07/12/2021 Asha

The Quint / by Smita Gupta

‘They call Sudha a terrorist, an anti-national. I have known her for over 30 years. You can’t find a better friend.’
“Sudha’s got bail!” These were the three words we have been desperate to hear for over three years and for which our brilliant and committed lawyers – Adv Yug Mohit Chaudhry and his team – have left no stone unturned; news her daughter Maaysha (Anu to all of us) has agonised over and lived for the past three years. And yet, I couldn’t believe it until I spoke to the lawyers myself. For all of us, Sudha’s friends and family, it is devastating that on some technicality the other co-accused were denied default bail.
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