Repression – Page 47 – free them all

‘My life hangs by a thread’: Activist Stan Swamy on Bhima Koregaon, Adivasi resistance in Jharkhand

28/09/2019 Maya

Scroll.in / by Sneha Philip & Smarnita Shetty

Criminal justice procedures are being misused to repress undertrials in the state’s jails who are falsely accused of being Maoists.
In this interview Swamy discusses the emergence and growth of people’s movements, his work with young Adivasi undertrials who are falsely accused of being Maoists, the difficult choices that confront young Adivasis today and the ongoing case against him in connection with the Bhima Koregaon caste clashes near Pune in 2018.
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Supreme Court’s inconsistent stand on civil rights gives state a window to defeat them

23/09/2019 Maya

The Print / by Raju Ramachandran

As chief interpreter of Constitution, Supreme Court is required to demarcate with some clarity areas of permissible state action. And this is where it has been found wanting.
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A grim situation

12/09/2019 Maya

Millenniumpost / by Editorial Board

Maoism has been a persistent threat to India’s internal security and any effort to contain the menace is more than necessary. But recent times, however, have seen an apparent evolution of this idea to include unsuitable rebels and questioning voices that are boldly directed at the establishment. The Bhima Koregaon case comes back to highlight with the September 10 incident when a team of Pune police raided the home of Delhi University Associate Professor Hany Babu M T in Noida for more than six hours in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
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IDR Interviews Stan Swamy

12/09/2019 Rani

India Development Review (IDR) / by Sneha Philip and Smarinita Shetty

Stan Swamy [one of accused in the Bhima Koregaon case] is an activist, a social worker and a Jesuit priest who has spent many decades fighting for the rights of Adivasis in Jharkhand.
In this interview with IDR, Stan discusses the emergence and growth of people’s movements, his work with young Adivasi undertrials who are falsely accused of being Naxalites and the difficult choices that confront young Adivasis today.
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The Law Takes Its Slow Course

11/09/2019 Maya

Outlook / by Preetha Nair

Lawyers and kin of jailed activists allege pre-trial punishment.
“It’s tough without him around. I am not hopeful of any positive outcome now,” says Meenal Gadling, wife of human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling, who has been languishing in Pune’s Yerawada jail for more than a year now.
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When Judicial Process itself becomes a Punishment

01/09/2019 Rani

Groundxero.in / by P. Varalakshmi

The dictum of ‘natural justice’ that not a single innocent should be punished – is vanishing into thin air in gathering gales of fascism. Professor GN Saibaba is fighting death languishing in a dark and dingy cell, unable to procure legitimate medical requirements. Thousands of Adivasis are rotting behind the high walls of prison. While those actually involved in bomb explosions, murders and genocides, are coming out from within prison walls to be honoured with felicitations. Some are being given chance to be Parliamentarians too. Is India’s political power dictating what and how justice should be? Asks P. Varalakshmi.
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Sacrificing liberty for national security

22/08/2019 Rani

The Hindu / by Sanjay Hegde

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act could prove catastrophic for fundamental rights.
In Parliament this month, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram questioned the need for certain amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. The Bill empowers the Central government to name any individual a terrorist if it believes him or her to be so.
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The UAPA Amendment And The Future Of Civil Liberties In A Constitutional Democracy

22/08/2019 Maya

Youth Ki Awaas / by Nikhil Jois

Recently, the Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a legislation in the “people’s house” termed as the UAPA or Unauthorized Activities Prevention Act Amendment Bill 2019. The major change in the already existing law adds to the draconian characteristic which is carried by the law. The government intends to designate an individual as a “terrorist.” What’s more? The bill aims to designate an individual terrorist even before the accused be presented to the court for “due process” to prove someone a terrorist.
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Report: Coporate Loot And People’s Resistance In Niyamgiri

21/08/2019 Maya

Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia

On August 18, the report titled “Corporate Loot and People’s Resistance in Niyamgiri” was released at the CDRO Convention on UAPA and other Draconian Law held in Jalandhar, Punjab. The report is an outcome of a joint fact-finding visit by a 16-member team from April 26-28, 2019 from All India Coordination of Democratic Rights Organization (CDRO) and Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan, Odisha (GASS) to villages of the Niyamgiri area in both Raygada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha. The team investigated into the death of the contract employee Dani Batra by the OISF on March 18 at the gate of Vedanta Aluminum Limited and also visited villages of the Dongria Kondhs to understand the major concerns of the people opposing mining of bauxite in their area and violation of their rights.
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Analysis | UAPA: Updated anti-terror law is likely to weaken Indian democracy

19/08/2019 Rani

pic: The Leaflet

The Leaflet / by Nivedhitha K

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 has been passed by the Parliament despite searing opposition to the inclusion of new provisions in the existing law. The Bill drew flak on two accounts. One, the new changes undermine human rights. Secondly, the amendments undermine the structure of Indian federalism.
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