Anti- AFSPA campaign to be strengthened
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, January 03 2014 : With the aim to strengthen the ongoing public campaign for repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, a people's convention is set to be held at Lamyanba Sanglen, Palace Compound here on January 5 .

The 'Manipur People's Convention to Strengthen the campaign to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958' would begin from 10.30 am with social activists Aram Pamei, Khangembam Anandi, retired District and Sessions Court justice C.Upendra, Prof.Lokendra Arambam and Thounaojam Iboyaima as presidium members.

According to a joint statement issued in connection with the convention, Convenor Okram Romen and co-convenor Kshetrimayum Onil observed that the year 2014 marks the tenth anniversary of the Manipuri people's uprising against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

In the aftermath of the rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama in July 2004, Manipuri mothers staged a unique protest in front of Kangla and challenged the predatory rapist in uniforms protected by AFSPA.

Thousands of ordinary men and women thronged the streets and bye-lanes of Imphal and daringly defied prohibitory orders, faced torture and lathi charge of the security forces.

Student leader, Pebam Chittaranjan took the ultimate step of immolating himself to protect the right to life of his fellow human beings.

In an effort to pacify the fury of the people of Manipur, Prime Minster of India Dr.Manmohan Singh, promised to consider "replacing the AFSPA with a more humane law".

But he seems to be still complacent to the matter even after a decade of his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) holding power, the joint statement said.

The joint statement went on to point out that Irom Sharmila has been continuing her hunger strike demanding repeal of AFSPA since November 2000.Whereas a few days hunger strike of Anna Hazare enticing immediate response from the political class of India, the only response from the Government to Sharmila's epic protest is to criminalize her as attempting to commit suicide and subject her to extreme isolation.

Only a recent visit by the NHRC gave some relief to the strict regime of isolation but even the premier human rights institution failed to address the fundamental issue of criminalization of her non-violent struggle.

On the other hand, we are encouraged by the increasing solidarity to the just struggle extended by the various civil society groups across India and beyond.

And also all the officially constituted committees and commissions, including the Committee to Review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (2005), the Second Administrative Reform Commission (2007), the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law (2013) etc are joining the call to repeal or at least review the AFSPA.

Internationally, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, almost all the Committees monitoring the major UN human rights treat bodies to which India is a party, all the UN Special Rapportures who visited India recently as well as the Working Group on Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council that reviewed India's human rights record during the 1st and 2nd cycle has all called for the repeal of AFSPA, the joint statement noted.

Even though the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of AFSPA in the Naga People's Movement for Human Rights judgment in 1997, in the ongoing Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families' Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) case the Supreme Court Appointed Commission headed by Justice Santosh Hedge, after minutely examining six cases of extrajudicial executions identified by the Court, clearly pointed out "�though the Act gives sweeping powers to the security forces even to the extent of killing a suspect with protection against prosecution, etc., the Act does not provide any protection to the citizens against possible misuse of these extraordinary powers�normally, the greater the power, the greater the restraint and stricter the mechanism to prevent is misuse or abuse.

But here in the case of the AFSPA in Manipur, this principle appears to have been reversed", the joint statement said.

"We, the concerned civil societies of Manipur, are therefore convening this one day Convention to deliberate upon the ways and means to make a final push to realize the just demand of repealing the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act by all means during the year 2014", it added.

Commission headed by Justice Santosh Hedge, after minutely examining six cases of extrajudicial executions identified by the Court, clearly pointed out "�though the Act gives sweeping powers to the security forces even to the extent of killing a suspect with protection against prosecution, etc., the Act does not provide any protection to the citizens against possible misuse of these extraordinary powers�normally, the greater the power, the greater the restraint and stricter the mechanism to prevent is misuse or abuse.

But here in the case of the AFSPA in Manipur, this principle appears to have been reversed", the joint statement said.

"We, the concerned civil societies of Manipur, are therefore convening this one day Convention to deliberate upon the ways and means to make a final push to realize the just demand of repealing the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act by all means during the year 2014", it added.

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