Re-arrest of Irom Sharmila denounced
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, January 24 2015 : Amnesty International India and Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) have strongly condemned the re-arrest of 'Prisoner of Conscience' Irom Sharmila by the Manipur police on Friday on charge of attempting to commit suicide, a day after a Manipur court rejected an identical charge and ordered her release.

In a statement, Shemeer Babu, Programmes Director of Amnesty International India, said, "This re-arrest makes a mockery of the Indian criminal justice process.

In the last five months Irom Sharmila has been released and re-arrested twice in what has now become an absurd ritual" .

SSSC condemns: Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC), a nation-wide campaign in support of Irom Sharmila and against Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) condemned her re-arrest.

In a release, SSSC said it considered the re-arrest of Irom Sharmila as a mockery of judiciary by the state.

While the judiciary had released her by quashing the charges of "attempt to suicide", the state has re-arrested her on the same grounds, SSSC informed.

The release said on January 22, a local court in Imphal ordered the release of Irom Sharmila by regarding the charge of "attempt to suicide" as baseless.

However, Irom Sharmila has been re-arrested again and has been booked under the same charge of "attempt to suicide" under 309 IPC.

SSSC said it believes that it was the failure of the State to resolve the issue of AFSPA and in making Sharmila a victim of the State.

It may be mentioned that the government had recently said it was considering the decriminalization of the 309 IPC.

SSSC said it seems that the state functionaries are trying to get the benefit till the time the government decrimi-nalises 309 IPC.

SSSC appealed the Government of India to intervene in the issue and to order the immediate release of Sharmila.

It also appealed that immediate steps should be taken to repeal AFSPA, the cause for which Sharmila has been protesting.

AFSPA must be removed in view of large scale human rights violations, said SSSC and added that even the State leadership of present ruling party in Central Government "favored" repealing AFSPA.

SSSC has organised and is continuing its efforts to highlight the issue and struggle of people in AFSPA imposed areas.

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