Video: Merry Xmas – Remember Hope, Struggle against Injustice in India
en | 2:17min | 2020
In solidarity with all unjustly incarcerated, charged under a terrorism law, imprisoned without trail.
Farmers’ Union Explains Why it is Demanding Jailed Activists’ Release / Ugrahan rights rally hurt cause
Ugrahan rights rally hurt cause, admit 32 groups, underline repeal demand
14/12/2020
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
Carefully calibrating their distancing from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the joint resolution said: “The function organised by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) has no relation with the farmers’ struggle. Their action has harmed the farmers’ struggle.”
With union ministers attributing ideological opposition to the farm protests and equating some of them with “Left and Naxal elements,” as many as 32 farmer unions passed a resolution Saturday making it clear that their only issue is the repeal of farm laws and nothing else.
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Won’t Pursue Narrow Interests: Farmers’ Union Explains Why it is Demanding Jailed Activists’ Release
12/12/2020
The Wire / by The Wire Staff
‘It is important to build solidarities around people who are the target of sectarian and communal state policies.’…
A section of mainstream media had been quick to brand the demand a “hijacking” of the farmers’ movement by Leftist intellectuals. The following statement, released by the BKU (Ugrahan), offers an idea as to why the protesters decided to add another cause to their agenda.
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It’s Time We Speak up For Each Other: Farmers’ Group Supports Political Prisoners
11/12/2020
The Wire / by Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta
“We are confronting a prime minister who is behaving like an exploitative king. All these activists and intellectuals have been arrested on false charges merely because they highlighted the plight of the poor,” said the head of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan).
A day after farmers’ unions rejected an elaborate proposal by the Union government to address multiple concerns related to the three contentious farm laws, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), the biggest group among the 32 organisations, marked Human Rights Day by demanding the release of several democratic rights activists and intellectuals who are lodged in prison.
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Bharti Kisan Union – Ekta Ugrahan
Posters demanding release of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Elgar Parishad activists seen at farmers’ protest
10/12/2020
Free Press Journal / by FPJ Web Desk
Lawyer and coordinator of the BKU N K Jeet said the release of these activists has been part of their demands from the very first day.
As the farmers’ agitation in the national capital entered Day 15 on Thursday, the ongoing protest against the Centre’s three new farm laws also turned political with a farmer union body–Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan)–demanding the release of writers, intellectuals, rationalists mainly arrested in Elgar Parishad and Delhi Riots case.
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BKU (Ugrahan) to seek release of ‘rights activists’, Delhi riots accused
10/12/2020
The Indian Express / by Kamaldeep Singh Brar
Pictures of more than 20 accused, including Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, booked under the stringent UAPA, will be installed on a stage near the Tikri border.
Despite the farmer unions’ decision to keep their ongoing protest in Delhi against the farm laws “apolitical”, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) plans to use this platform to demand the release of several accused booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for allegedly having links with Naxals, on Human Rights Day, to be observed Thursday.
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Farmers hit back at Union minister’s ‘protest backed by Pakistan’ allegations
10/12/2020
Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff
The farmers’ protest against the agricultural legislations entered the 15th day on Thursday…
Live updates
2.18 pm: Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan observe human rights day at Tikri border, demanding release of writers, rationalists and intellectuals, mainly arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, including Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde, Sudha Bhardwaj, Varvara Rao and others, reports The Times of India.
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Calls for Indian Jesuit’s freedom fill Rights Day
UCA / by Saji Thomas
A demand to release an elderly Jesuit priest and 15 other activists was prominent among calls made at programs marking international Human Rights Day in many parts of India.
Several rights groups joined with citizens to organize demonstrations, webinars and marches across the country on Dec 10, expressing their concern over what they said was a governmental attempt to throttle dissenting voices against its policies and programs.
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Stand with Fr Stan Swamy / Solidarity Campaigns (pics)
By Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha / @JharkhandJanad1 (Dec 12):
Rajesh Kachhap, @INCJharkhand MLA says that Stan Swamy’s arrest is an attack on freedom of expression by the dictatorial central govt. He demands Stan’s release and appeals to @HemantSorenJMM govt to write to the centre.
Silent protest launches campaign calling for release of Father Stan Swamy
10/12/2020
CSW / by CWS
A protest has been held today, International Human Rights Day, outside the High Commission of India in London, organised by the UK-based Jesuit Missions, to mark the launch of an international campaign calling for the immediate and unconditional release from prison of Father Stan Swamy.
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Stand with Father Stan
10/12/2020
By Jesuit Mission UK
This Human Rights Day falls on the 10 December, and Jesuit Missions is inviting you to take action to help free Fr Stan Swamy SJ from prison.
What you can do
We want to raise awareness about what has happened to Fr Stan Swamy. This can be done in two ways.
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Postcard campaign
10/12/2020
Click to enlarge
Who will Defend the Human Rights’ Defenders? Release Political Prisoners, Repeal UAPA
09/12/2020
Right to Food and Work Campaign, West Bengal
National Level Postcard Campaign Takes Off on Human Rights Day On 10th December, 2020, International Human Rights Day, a nation-wide post card campaign asking the Prime Minister to repeal the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and to release all prisoners who have been incarcerated under this Act, is being inaugurated.
Read full statement / Click to enlarge
Organisers of Elgar Parishad say accused are denied basic human rights
The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal
On Human Rights Day, retired judges say intellectuals have been implicated for speaking against the government.
It is close to three years that intellectuals, activists and lawyers were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Retired judges, who organised the Elghar Parishad event, say, “All those accused in the case are not connected with it but they have been implicated because they have spoken against the government. They are denied basic human rights.”
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Human Rights Padyatra Demands Release of Sudha Bhardwaj and her Co-Accused (pics)
Click to enlarge pics
By PUCL-CG and CMM-MKS
People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Chhattisgarh & Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha-Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti had given the call to march in solidarity with Sudha Bharadwaj and other human rights activists on International Human Rights Day.
The yatra was planned from Bhilai Power House to the Chief Minister’s residence in Raipur to deliver a memorandum, demanding the release of Sudha Bharadwaj and her co-accused. But the padyatra was stopped by the police near Khursipar in Bhilai, violating the fundamental right of the citizens to protest peacefully.
They demanded:
Release Sudha Bharadwaj!
Release all Human Rights Activists!
Stop Human Rights Violations in Chhattisgarh!
Swiss parliamentarians and trade unionists formed a solidarity committee for BK16
Parliamentarians and trade unionists establish solidarity committee for arrested human rights activists, lawyers, intellectuals and cultural workers in India
Press Release Nov 30, 2020
Swiss parliamentarians and trade unionists have formed a solidarity committee for political prisoners in India. With this they protest against the criminalization of human rights activists and government critics in India and demand their release. They also call on the Indian government to ensure that they are released, that irregularities in the proceedings against the arrested persons are investigated and that rights of the prisoners are fully guaranteed. The committee was initiated by the Solidarity organization SOLIFONDS, which has been in contact with the well-known arrested lawyer and trade unionist Sudha Bharadwaj for years. …
People’s organisations demand release of Bhima Koregaon case accused
People’s organisations demand release of Bhima Koregaon case accused
29/11/2020
The Times of India / by Siva G
Andhra Pradesh: Various people’s organisations demanded the police to release the arrested people’s organisations leaders including adivasis, women, dalits and minorities unconditionally along with the 16 persons detained illegally in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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Tribal Rights Activist Among 67 Slapped With UAPA Over ‘Maoist Link’ Suspicion
29/11/2020
The Wire / by Gali Nagaraja
Driven to a frenzy over purported statements given by Maoist sympathisers, Andhra police have arrested several human rights activists from Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
Hyderabad: Athram Suguna, a 38-year old school teacher of the Gond tribe from Telangana’s Fakrigutta in Adilabad district, has been caught in a cat-and-mouse game with no end in sight.
Suguna works as a school assistant in a zilla parishad high school at Utnoor. After a group of suspected Maoist sympathisers supposedly spilled the beans on a network of Maoists to the police, the latter have framed her in a case under the draconian and stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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Principles and norms laid down in the Constitution of India / Save Our Constitution
Delhi, 2019
Is India governed by the principles and norms laid down in the Constitution of India
29/11/2020
The Leaflet / by Jacob Peenikaparambil
The Constitution of India was adopted more than two years after independence from British rule. It provided a common vision and set goals towards which both the government and people of India could strive as well as the foundational principles of governance of a nation.
Along with celebrations, this day is also for introspection for Indians. How far has the vision and goals of the constitution been realised? …
Dissent is demonised as anti-national by the government and the ruling party. The judiciary that is entrusted with the task of protecting the fundamental rights of the citizens is often shirking from its responsibilities.
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Save Our Constitution
29/11/2020
The Leaflet / by Cedric Prakash
In times when the Supreme Court is selectively granting relief for wide-scale violation of constitutional rights, it is important to save the constitution by saving the Article which embodied the heart and soul of the Constitution according to Dr Ambedkar i.e Art 32…
Fr Stan Swamy and fifteen others who are ‘allegedly’ involved in the Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy case are in jail- some of them languishing for more than two years now. Besides these, there are several others imprisoned under the UAPA, and were also charged and arrested on the archaic ‘sedition’ law and even on ‘contempt of court’.
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National Vigil for Constitution & Human Rights Defenders/ Defending Constitutional Rights
By Indian Social Institute, Delhi
By Indian Social Institute, Bangaluru / By Bombay Catholic Sabha
