The Kerala Council of Churches (KCC) has condemned the proceedings and action of the Chhattisgarh government that “ultimately led” to the conviction of Binayak Sen, leader of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
In a statement issued here on Thursday, KCC president Gabriel Mar Gregorios Metropolitan and secretary Philip N. Thomas alleged that the Chhattisgarh government's action amounted to State terror and denial of democratic rights to law-abiding citizens.
“State opting terrorism to counter terror was nothing short of negation of democracy and the very spirit of the Constitution,” they said. Dr. Sen has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with Narayan Sanyal, Maoist leader, and Piyush Guha, a business man.
The KCC statement states that Dr. Sen is a noted human rights activist and physician. His struggle and service for the protection of the rights of tribes and other alienated groups are well known.
“The PUCL is not a terror organisation, but one recognised by the authorities in the field of human rights activities. The laws passed by Chhattisgarh government to fight terror are misused to implicate human rights activists in sedition and wage of war against State,” the statement said.
KCC has called upon the government of Chhattisgarh to repeal the “draconian laws prevailing in the State” and take immediate steps for the release of Dr. Sen at the earliest.
