Irom Sharmila's re-arrest a mockery of her right to free expression
- Amnesty International India -
Bangalore, 22nd August, 2014
The re-arrest of Prisoner of Conscience Irom Sharmila for “attempted suicide” two days after a Manipur court rejected the same charge is a farcical exercise and a setback for human rights in India, Amnesty International India said today.
At 10:30 am today, Irom Sharmila – who was released on 20 August - was forcibly taken away by police and later arrested for “attempted suicide”. She will be produced in an Imphal court on 23 August. On 19 August, an Imphal court ruled that authorities had failed to establish that Irom Sharmila had intended to commit suicide, and stated that her 13 year-long hunger strike for the repeal of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was a ‘political demand through a lawful means’.
Kadambari Gladding, Campaigner with Amnesty International India, who is in Imphal to follow the events, said, “For the past two days, Irom Sharmila had been visited by well-wishers and activists to share her joy in being released and expressing solidarity with her struggle against the AFSPA. Today, when the police arrived to take her away, a group of Manipuri mothers surrounded her to show their solidarity. But Sharmila was dragged away by the police in her frail state.”
Speaking to Amnesty International India after her release Irom Sharmila said, "I feel gratitude for all the support, but my gratitude cannot be complete until AFSPA is repealed." At a press conference on 21 August she said, "No violence of any sort can ever be a solution...I have literally been chewing on my tongue, just so violence can end."
“Instead of engaging with the important issues Irom Sharmila is raising, the Manipur government has disappointingly returned to its old ways of muffling dissent. The absurd move to re-arrest Irom Sharmila for ‘attempted suicide’ shows utter disdain for her constitutional rights,” said Shailesh Rai, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India.
About:
Amnesty International India is part of the Amnesty International global human rights movement. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion, and are funded mainly by contributions from individual supporters. Amnesty International India's Human Rights Education programme works with schools in India to integrate human rights into schools' curricula, relationships, environment and governance. Our vision is for every person in India to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, other international human rights standards and the Constitution of India.
* This PR was sent to e-pao.net by Tejas Patel (Amnesty International India) who can be contacted at tejas(dot)patel(at)amnesty(dot)org(dot)in
This Press Release was posted on August 23 2014
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.