The Hindu : Front Page : British MPs demand release of Binayak Sen

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Saturday, May 09, 2009
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British MPs demand release of Binayak Sen

Hasan Suroor

‘His incarceration is a grave case of violation of human rights’

They call for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention
He is held on “politically-motivated and
trumped-up charges”

LONDON: A group of British MPs on Friday signed an Early Day Parliamentary motion expressing concern over the continued detention of the human rights activist Binayak Sen and calling for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention.

Dr. Sen, who was awarded the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights, has been languishing in a Chhattisgarh jail for two years over his alleged links with Maoist groups.

The motion, sponsored by Labour Party MP Jeremy Corbyn, called Dr. Sen’s incarceration a “grave case of violation of human rights,” stating that he was being held on “politically-motivated and trumped-up charges.”

The signatories said they were concerned over repeated delays in giving Dr. Sen a fair trial.

He had also been denied his constitutional right to bail. They said they were worried about Dr. Sen’s health “due to lack of appropriate medical care.”

The motion demanded his immediate release pending a fair and prompt trial so that he could carry out his work “without harassment and free from fear.”

Protest plan

Rights campaigners from across Britain are expected to take part in a protest outside the Indian High Commission here on May 14 to be organised by the “Release Binayak Sen Now Campaign” to mark the second anniversary of his detention.

“Dr. Sen was arrested on what the Amnesty International has called ‘trumped up’ charges on May 14. 2007. The State alleges that he was a conduit for Maoist insurgents in particular delivering letters for a senior Maoist leader in jail.

To date, the authorities have failed to provide a shred of concrete evidence,” it said in a statement.

It called Dr. Sen’s arrest “a manifest evidence of an increasing trend worldwide to silence peaceful dissent by imprisoning lawful humanitarian activists on charges of terrorism.”

The Amnesty International said that Dr. Sen’s continued detention was in breach of international law.

Glaring example

“Dr. Sen’s prolonged imprisonment is a glaring example of how the Indian authorities misuse security legislation to target activists. These are open to abuse as they contain vague and sweeping definitions of ‘unlawful activities,” said Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Programme Madhu Malhotra.

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