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Status of medical bail pleas of other accused / An Account Of Stan Swamy’s Struggles For Basic Rights

Status of medical bail pleas of other accused / An Account Of Stan Swamy’s Struggles For Basic Rights

Status of medical bail pleas of other accused

06/07/2021

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

In June 2020, the special NIA court rejected interim bail pleas of poet Varavara Rao and former professor Shoma Sen, who sought bail citing their health conditions in light of Covid. Rao was subsequently granted temporary bail by HC for six months.
In May, a vacation bench of the High Court hearing a medical bail filed by Maaysha Singh, the daughter of activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, said prisoners are entitled to access their own medical records and that prisoners should be allowed to make a phone call to a family member after a hospital visit. The court disposed of the medical bail plea after Singh’s lawyer submitted that Bharadwaj had received treatment.
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An Account Of Father Stan Swamy’s Struggles For Basic Rights

06/07/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit priest who spent over 60 years of his life working for the most marginalised communities, for Adivasis and against the illegal detention of minors branded as Maoists in Jharkhand, passed away at the Holy Family hospital on Monday, his last wish unfulfilled.
… Father Swamy’s lawyer Sharif Shaikh had argued during his first application for interim bail on medical grounds in October 2020 that he could not sign even his vakalatnama and a thumb impression had to be taken.
But NIA opposed his plea. They accused the old man of trying to take “undue benefit” of the pandemic.
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Taloja jail official who wanted Elgaar accused shifted gets transferred

Taloja jail official who wanted Elgaar accused shifted gets transferred

Taloja jail superintendent transferred

05/07/2021

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

Had sought accused in Bhima Koregaon case to be shifted to other prison.
Taloja jail superintendent Kaustubh Kurlekar, who recently sought the transfer of the male accused in the Bhima Koregaon case to another prison, has been moved to another posting attached to the office of the Inspector General (prisons) as a part of an administrative shuffle, a senior prison department official said.
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Elgar Parishad Accused Could Soon Be Separated, Moved to Different Prisons Across Maharashtra

29/06/2021

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

The Taloja Central jail authorities have moved NIA court claiming that the lawyers and family members of those arrested have been giving ‘fake information’ to the media.
The activists and academics arrested in the Elgar Parishad case now have a new challenge before them – the possibility of being separated and thrown into different prisons across the state.
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Also read: Amid pandemic, India’s political prisoners struggle with failing health in unequipped jails (The Caravan, June 22)

Appeal for the immediate release of human rights defenders in jail

Appeal for the immediate release of human rights defenders in jail


Prison diaries. Drawing by Arun Ferreira

theworldiswatchingindia.com / by CIVICUS, World Organisation Against Torture, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch

The undersigned organisations wish to draw the Human Rights Council’s attention to the health and safety of Indian human rights defenders in prison, detained on politically motivated charges, and at grave risk due to Covid-19. The human rights crisis unfolding in India, including the jailing of defenders, has been met with relative silence from the international community. The use of counter-terror legal provisions to incarcerate defenders has taken a serious turn with the impact of Covid-19. As India struggles to cope with a new and deadly wave of the virus, jailed defenders are at serious risk, many of whom have tested positive for Covid-19 or are showing symptoms. The denial of medical bail, basic medical facilities, and communication or access to families even in the midst of the current surge in cases and deaths in India, is an act of cruelty, and a violation of their right to life and dignity.
Read full statement

Rally for jailed Indian scholars held in Surrey, Canada

Rally for jailed Indian scholars held in Surrey, Canada


Surrey, June 27

Countercurrents.org / by Countercurrents

Close to the birthday of George Orwell and the 46th anniversary of Emergency in the world’s so called largest democracy, activists came together in Surrey on Sunday, June 27, to raise their voices against the incarceration of thinkers by the Indian authorities.
Organized by Radical Desi publications, the rally was held right outside the Indian Visa and Passport Application Center. The participants carried placards with pictures of jailed scholars who are being detained under trumped up charges for merely questioning the power and standing up for the poor and marginalized.
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Amid pandemic, India’s political prisoners struggle with failing health in unequipped jails

Amid pandemic, India’s political prisoners struggle with failing health in unequipped jails


Prison diaries. Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Amid pandemic, India’s political prisoners struggle with failing health in unequipped jails

22/06/2021

The Caravan / by Nileena MS

As of 6 June this year, five of the 16 persons accused in the Bhima Koregaon case have spent over three years in jail without trial. These 16 individuals include lawyers, academics, a poet, a priest and activists. They are among scores of political prisoners in the country who have been arrested under the Narendra Modi government. Seven of the 16 have tested positive for COVID-19, and many of the others suffer from serious conditions, including comorbidities. Despite a rampaging second wave and increasing reports about worsening health conditions in jails, India appears intent on keeping its political prisoners behind bars.
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Vaccination drive in Maharashtra prisons going slow

22/06/2021

The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal

Only 4,409 of 33,971 inmates have received at-least the first dose.
The vaccination drive across 47 prisons in Maharashtra has been rather slow with only 4,409 inmates having received at least the first dose out of the total 33,971 inmates, that it houses.
According to the Maharashtra Prison Department, there are 28,716 under-trials and 5,255 convicts lodged across the State of which 3,338 under-trials and 1,021 convicts have been vaccinated.
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Also read: Imprisoned and Unsafe – Prisoners and the Pandemic (PUCL, Sep 2020)

Video: Jailed to Die? India’s incarcerated human rights defenders and the Covid emergeny

Video: Jailed to Die? India’s incarcerated human rights defenders and the Covid emergeny


en | 2h | 2021

By InSAF India

Public Appeal Meeting with family members of #BhimaKoregaon 16, and legal and human rights experts.

Watch video

By InSAF (June 19):
We’re Live now talking about India’s incarcerated human right defenders and the #covid emergency with @lsnul @jennyrowena @Aakar__Patel @koel_ko, Simi Korote, Shahrukh Alam and Father Xavier +++
Shahrukh Alam draws important comparison between Indian and other legal systems, noting how the Indian legal system allows for a lengthy period of detention even before the person is found guilty +++
She further notes on how recent #UAPA FIRs against political dissidents are against the right to political protest but are highly problematic in their treatment of dissidents from marginalised groups, openly criminalised and reek of islamophobia +++
Many of the speakers today pointed out, we need sustained international pressure – even for ensuring pasic rights for political detainees. Please consider signing and sharing our letter today +++
@Aakar__Patel notes how post 2014, under a majoritarian government, all minority communities have been sidelined. He further notes how this majoritarianism has resulted in specific legal implications, mostly for Muslims and other minorities +++
He also notes, “the only reason the Bhima Koregaon undertrials are still in jail is because of the state’s malice…”. Are we just going to allow our human right defenders to languish in prisons for the satisfaction of the Indian govt? We need accountability & justice! +++
Listening to Sagar Gonsalves speak about his father and his helplessness in ‘Jailed to Die? India’s incarcerated human rights defenders and the Covid emergency’ … enraging! +++
Father Xavier talks of how Father Stan Swamy, 84 year old in prison, has been criminalised for standing for the rights of the marginalised, specifically rights of tribal and adivasi communities. Shame on the Indian state! +++
Kudos to @jennyrowena for speaking so bravely about how her partner, Prof Hany Babu has challenged caste hierarchies within academia, politics and the country for which he is now being punished. She notes the disproportionate caste representation in these spaces +++
And how the only way to change this is to get freedom from the caste colony, demanding accountabilities Ty from the savarnas! She calls for the takeover of universities, legal system, political systems by Dalit-Bahujans for any hope of change in this country +++
@jennyrowena notes how her husband, prof Hany Babu had a severe eye infection in prison which has since even threatened his vision but was denied appropriate medical attention. This brutality of this legal system is horrific. We stand in solidarity with @jennyrowena & Hany Babu +++

Also Read: Prominent international figures support appeal for release of human rights defenders as India faces Covid emergency (InSAF India, June 10)

Release activists held for Bhima-Koregaon violence, says sabha

Release activists held for Bhima-Koregaon violence, says sabha

The Tribune India / by Tribune News Service

Activists of the Jamhoori Adhikar Sabha and other like-minded organisations on Wednesday staged a protest and carried out a march while seeking immediate release of those who were booked and arrested for the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon violence.
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Farmers’ body raises voice for jailed activists again

Farmers’ body raises voice for jailed activists again


Tikri border, June 14, 2021

The Times of India / by Neel Kamal

Six months after being described as “urban naxals” and “Maoists” for demanding the release of activists arrested in cases of Bhima Koregaon Alghar Parishad and Delhi riots, farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) reiterated its demand for unconditional release of writers, intellectuals and rationalists. They again displayed photos of Gautam Navlakha, Natasha Narwal, Soma Sen, Gautam Gilani, Rona Wilson and Umar Khalid. Members of Naujwan Bharat Sabha and Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa) released a poster depicting people in a cage. The protesters called for dedicating a fortnight to support jailed activists.
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Also Read: Farmers’ groups attempt to ‘broaden’ struggle (Jan 2021) / Jailed activists join farmers protests (Dec 2020)

Immediate Justice needed in Bhima-Koregaon Conspiracy

Immediate Justice needed in Bhima-Koregaon Conspiracy

Music clip: The BK16


en | 30sec | 2021
Watch music clip

Immediate Justice needed in Bhima-Koregaon Conspiracy

12/06/2021

The Milli Gazette / by Fr Cedric Prakash SJ

It was the virtual ‘midnight knock’! The irony was that the knock took place in broad daylight, and expectedly in a blatantly unjust, uncivilised and unconstitutional manner. On 6 June 2018, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson were arrested from their residences in various parts of the country. The arrests of others then continued in a phased manner: on 28 August 2018, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao and Vernon Gonsalves; on 14 April 2020, Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha; on 28 July 2020, Hanybabu Tarayil; on 10 September 2020, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and (the next day) Jyoti Jagtap – all three from the Kabir Kala Manch were arrested from Pune; finally on 8 October 2020, Fr Stan Swamy was arrested from Ranchi.
It is three years now since the first arrests in the Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy case were made. Today, sixteen (referred to as the BK-16) of the country’s committed citizens continue to languish in jail, with bail being denied to them and with absolutely no signs of any trial beginning.
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BK16 Solidarity in Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cambridge, Dundee and Online (pics)

BK16 Solidarity in Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cambridge, Dundee and Online (pics)

#FreeBK16 #FreeThemAll @ June 12

Zurich, Switzerland: Solifonds in collaboration with the Frauenrechts Gruppe of Amnesty Zurich Chapter, held a demonstration to protest for the release of the 16 human rights activists in India. They also wrote a solidarity message for the prisoners signed by the people who participated at the activities.


Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany: IndienKoGruppe: Solidarity from Berlin and Frankfurt. Defending the Defenders of Indian Constitutional Values and Human Rights.
Freedom shall prevail, defend the defenders!


Cambridge, UK

Dundee, Scotland: Amnesty Dundee – The BK 16 are a group of human rights defenders who have been imprisoned indefinitely by the Indian Government for standing up for human rights.

Amnesty Kenya: #BK16 solidarity from Nairobi, Kenya. Our members, staff and Board stand with the 16 Human Rights Defenders incarcerated in India #FreeBK16 #FreeThemAll unconditionally now

Amnesty International UK South Asia Action, Minehead group: Today, 12 June 2021, is an Action Day across Europe to raise awareness of the BK16 Below are the AI Minehead group asking you to #FreeBK16 and #FreeThemAll