The Wire / by Indradeep Bhattacharyya
A deep commitment to revolutionary humanism runs through Rao’s literary oeuvre – one that successive governments have relentlessly tried to muzzle.
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NDTV / Sreenivasan Jain asks
en | 1:17 min
N Venugopal, nephew of Varavara Rao: “Varavara Rao was lying in a pool of urine, I changed his clothes and the bedsheets. The nurses and constables came and threw us out”
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en 2:48 min
Suchitra Vijayan, Founder and Executive Director, The Polis Project: “Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it is just”
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en | 1:56 min
Colin Gonsalves, Senior Lawyer: “Strategy of government and NIA seems to be, ‘let us try and have these guys die in jail, before their trials begin’”
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By Hemalatha, P Sahaja, P Anala, P Pavana
The Wire / by The Wire Staff
New Delhi: A group of 146 scholars from across the world have come together to ask the Indian government to release 80-year-old Telugu poet Varavara Rao from prison. Rao is currently in Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital for neurological and urological treatment. He has also tested positive for COVID-19.
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Gauri Lankesh News / by Gauri Lankesh News Desk
The protesters said that the current government is harassing those who are fighting for people’s rights. They condemned the actions of the government and the indifference of the courts.
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By CIVICUS
Nearly 200 human rights organisations including CIVICUS have signed a letter to world leaders urging them to release human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience in honour of Nelson Mandela Day 18 July … It calls on governments to end the imprisonment and harassment of human rights defenders … Resilient human rights defenders from across the globe feature in the #StandAsMyWitness campaign. The ‘faces’ of the campaign are these defenders currently behind bars, like Sudha Bharadwaj – a human rights lawyer who defends Indigenous people’s rights in India.
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The #StandAsMyWitness campaign urges people to write letters on behalf of the defenders:
Demand the release of Sudha Bharadwaj
en | 2:08 min | 2020
Indian Cultural Forum / Newsclick / by ICF TEAM
Young poets — Sabika Abbas Naqvi, Naveen Chourey, Aseem Sundan, Kaushik Raj, Poojan Sahil, Mandvi Mishra and Hussain Haidry — have come together in solidarity with renowned poet Varavara Rao. Condemning the State’s blatant and callous disregard for the health of Varavara Rao, they demand immediate release of the poet.
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Counterview / by Counterview Desk
Through a petition to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Prof Sandeep Pandey, the Magsaysay award winning social activist, along with university academics, students and other activists*, have sought wider support for immediate release of Prof Sudha Bharadwaj, in jail since August 2018 for her alleged involvement in Maoist terror activists following a Republic TV report said she was conspiring to create public disorder and unrest in India.
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CDRO Online / by Coordination of Democratic Rights Organaisation
A round table meeting was held on 14th July 2020, at the Godavarikhani, Ambedkar Bhavan on the issue of arrested intellectuals in Bhima-Koregaon case. This meeting was attended by different public associations, Civil Liberties Committee (CLC), leftist parties like CPI, CPIM, CPI-ML New Democracy and Dalit groups like All India Ambedkar Youth Association (AIAYA), Madiga Reservation PorataSamithi (MRPS) and Mala Mahanadu.
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The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) demands the immediate release of the revolutionary poet Varavara Rao who has tested positive for COVID-19. As per information received by family members, Varavara Rao’s health has rapidly deteriorated over the last couple of weeks. This is also evidenced by his weakening physical state, incoherent speech and inability to independently perform daily or bodily functions. After persistent efforts of family members in highlighting his health condition, the jail authorities, who had denied these concerns, were compelled to shift Varavara Rao to JJ Hospital in Mumbai on July 13th. However, his health further worsened as hospital authorities failed to care for him. They even forcibly sent away his family for raising concerns about him being abandoned on a dirty and unsanitary stretcher. Today, he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been shifted to Saint George Hospital, Mumbai.
…
Life of Prisoners put at risk during pandemic !
VARAVARA RAO tests positive for Covid 19!
Demand Immediate Release of All Political Prisoners!
STOP IMPRISONING DURING PANDEMIC!
People’s Poet Varavara Rao has been shifted to the Saint George Hospital today after he tested positive for Coronavirus. The 80 year old poet has been jailed along with 10 others activists in a false case post the attacks at Bhima Koregaon in 2018. …
Karctivist.org/ by Kractivist
Mumbai, July 16, 2020 – More than 500 individuals including activists academics, lawyers and Students endorsed petition to Chief Minister Maharashtra Uddhav Bal Thackeray demanding interim bail amidst Covid 19 Pandemic for the Bhima Koregaon 11.
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