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ABA calls for release of Bhima-Koregaon accused

ABA calls for release of Bhima-Koregaon accused

The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal

Activists age, health issues put them at high risk amid pandemic, says centre.
The American Bar Association’s (ABA)’s Center for Human Rights has called for the release of all human rights defenders arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case in the interest of flattening the COVID-19 curve, upholding the fundamental rights of detainees and enhancing national security, as their detention was arbitrary.
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Also read: American Bar Association’s report (Oct 2019)
The Preliminary Fair Trial Report: Bhima Koregaon

Sign Petition: Release The Bhima Koregaon Political Prisoners

Sign Petition: Release The Bhima Koregaon Political Prisoners

By Concerned Citizens / #NoJailDuringCovid

This appeal is being written to highlight how the activists, lawyers and teachers arrested in what has now come to be known as the Bhima Koregaon/ Elgaar Parishad case should be released keeping in mind the direction of United Nations and to highlight that their release can’t be any harm to the society or danger to the legal procedures.
Read more & sign online petition

SC Decision To Send Gautam Navlakha And Anand Teltumbde To Jail Is Cruel And Disappointing

SC Decision To Send Gautam Navlakha And Anand Teltumbde To Jail Is Cruel And Disappointing

By Amnesty International

Amid the spread of COVID-19, the Supreme Court of India’s order directing the arrest and imprisonment of two human rights defenders, Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha within a week, is disappointing. The order is also at odds with the court’s previous ruling where it directed the states to decongest the country’s overcrowded prisons to prevent the spread of the pandemic, thereby posing a risk to the health of the two activists, said Amnesty International India today.
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Campaign by AI: Demand The Release Of The Bhima Koregaon 9 Now!


In 2018, as part of a massive crackdown on human rights defenders in India, nine prominent activists– Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Vernon Gonsalves and Varavara Rao were arrested by the Pune Police.
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Video: Bhima Koregaon 9: Heroes Who Fight For Your Rights

en | 6:18 min | 2019
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Condemn the SC’s denial of relief & stand in solidarity with all voices for peoples’ rights!

Condemn the SC’s denial of relief & stand in solidarity with all voices for peoples’ rights!

CASR posters, 2018

By Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) calls on all democratic organisations and individuals to come together and condemn the denial of relief for Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, stand in solidarity with all such voices of democracy and demand the immediate release of all political prisoners. Our unity at this time of crisis is all the more urgent and necessary for our silence in the time of injustice is bound to render us voiceless in the days to come. Let us unite and demand:
1. Immediate reprieve from arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha.
2. Immediate release of all political prisoners lodged in jails all over the country, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Immediate release of all under-trial prisoners and persons convicted on minor charges to decongest prisons.
4. Action (with restraint in light of COVID-19) against the perpetrators of violence in the Bhima Koregaon case including Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote.
5. Repeal of all draconian laws like UAPA, NSA and PSA, among others.
Read full statement

UK Organisations condemn imminent arrest & demand release of all political rights activists

UK Organisations condemn imminent arrest & demand release of all political rights activists

aisa solidarity posters

Documented by Countercurrents

The police in the State of Maharashtra, India, acting at the behest of the central BJP Hindutva government, is forcing the arrest of Professor Dr Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha under August 2018 fabricated charges, accusing them of involvement in violence that occurred at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018. …
To redeem the situation Indian government and the judiciary must:
– Grant bail to Dr Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha
– Immediately release all falsely implicated in the Bhima Koregaon case
– Release all Political Prisoners
– Repeal UAPA, NSA, AFSA and all other draconian laws
Read full statement

Koel Sen Pleads For Her Mother’s Release From Jail During A Pandemic

Koel Sen Pleads For Her Mother’s Release From Jail During A Pandemic

Amnesty International India / by Koel Sen

The last time I met my mother – Professor Shoma Sen, was on 29 February 2020 at the Byculla District Jail in Mumbai for 15 minutes. All meetings at the jail have been cancelled in the wake of the nation-wide lockdown announced from 25 March 2020. On Sunday, 5 April 2020, many heeded the Prime Minister’s call to light candles and show solidarity against the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, some of us, families of the Bhima Koregaon arrestees, remained in the dark about the future of our loved ones.
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How 2-minute Phone Call Keeps Jailed Activists In Touch With Families

How 2-minute Phone Call Keeps Jailed Activists In Touch With Families


Drawing by Arun Ferreira

The Outlook / by Preetha Nair

Why is the Maharashtra government sitting on the Supreme Court order? Are they waiting for people to die in prison? ask kin of activists.
It had over a month since jailed activist Varavara Rao’s family had heard from him. They were anxious and desperate to know how the 80-year-old poet-activist-journalist, who has been languishing in prison for alleged links to Maoists, was doing.
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A letter to Anand Teltumbde, on his way to jail

A letter to Anand Teltumbde, on his way to jail

The Wire / by Vijay Prashad & Sudhanva Deshpande

‘You are being sent to jail because you are part of a tidal wave of dissent against this government and what it has done to Indian democracy.’

Dear Anand,
On Monday, there will probably be a knock on your door. Police officers are likely to arrive to arrest you. They will carry with them a range of papers, a file overflowing with notes that refer to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code.
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2-Min Phone Calls To Family For Jailed Bhima Koregaon Activists

2-Min Phone Calls To Family For Jailed Bhima Koregaon Activists

Huffpost / by Piyasree Dasgupta

The national lockdown enforced due to the coronavirus outbreak has prevented the families from meeting the imprisoned activists.
A couple of weeks ago, Koel Sen received a call from a constable at the Byculla Jail in Mumbai, informing her that the facility to meet prisoners would be suspended soon, in view of the coronavirus outbreak in India.
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