Global coalition seeks Binayak's release

January 30 will see protests to oppose suppression of “democratic dissent”

January 29, 2011 12:40 am | Updated November 17, 2021 03:32 am IST - NEW DELHI:

Fifty-five civil society groups from the U.S., the U.K. and Canada have come together to demand the immediate release of jailed human rights activist Binayak Sen, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Chhattisgarh court.

They will observe the Martyrs' Day (January 30) as a ‘global day of protest against repression of human rights activists' in India.

The coalition has demanded the repeal of draconian laws that give the state arbitrary powers and infringe on the fundamental rights of free speech, and the disbanding of the state-backed vigilante groups such as Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh.

The groups are conducting meetings in 11 North American cities on January 30, demanding Dr. Sen's release. The coalition consists of civil rights groups such as the Asian Law Alliance, health rights groups such as the People's Health Movement, anti-war groups including the ANSWER Coalition and the Boston Mobilization, women's rights groups such as the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom and student groups from Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

In addition, peace and justice groups from a number of cities and a large number of South Asian immigrant groups based in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada are part of the coalition.

The groups have planned demonstrations, vigils and panel discussions on January 30 to voice opposition to the “brutal suppression of peaceful democratic dissent currently under way” in India.

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