
Le gouvernement de droite du BJP en Inde s’attaque aux minorités religieuses (en particuliers musulmanes et chrétiennes), aux populations « indigènes » (Dalits et Adivasis). Les agriculteurs sont en crise, le chômage des jeunes atteint des sommets. Le BJP veut diviser la société. Quatre intellectuels rationalistes ont été assassiné ces deux dernières années, les mouvements étudiants, les médias progressistes sont poursuivis. Toute personne qui critique le gouvernement est considéré comme antipatriotique.
Ces derniers mois 9 militants importants des droits humains ont été emprisonnés et un dixième, Anand Teltumde est sur le point de l’être ce 11 février 2019
Nous avons créé un web site https://indiacivilwatch.org/issues-uapa/
Une pétition ouverte aux organisations https://thewire.in/rights/anand-teltumbde-activists-arrested-petition
Une déclaration de 9 parlementaires européens qui peut être appuyée par d’autres parlementaires français ou européens
Nous recherchons aussi des signatures d’intellectuels et universitaires en France
India Civil Watch (ICW).
https://indiacivilwatch.org/issues-b12 ) https://www.thewire.in/rights/whos-afraid-of-anand-teltumbde
Une déclaration de 9 parlementaires européens qui peut être appuyée par d’autres parlementaires français ou européens https://scroll.in/latest/894428/nine-european-mps-urge-eu-to-cancel-agreements-with-india-till-arrested-activists-are-released
Nous recherchons aussi des signatures d’intellectuels et universitaires en France.
Dear Friends
We have started the campaign and are getting visibility :
https://thewire.in/rights/anand-teltumbde-activists-arrested-petition
Please discuss and see if something can be started from Paris/France.
Warm regards
Feroz
Dear Gus, Bernard, Mireille, Amelie, Nathalie
I am writing to all of you to get support for the latest campaign that we have launched concerning serious threats to human rights defenders in India.
We have a collective of individuals and organizations in the USA and Canada who work by the name of India Civil Watch (ICW).
As you are aware, the present extreme right wing government of BJP in India has leashed out a vicious attack on religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians and on the Dalits and Adivasis (Indigenous population as they are called in India). The farmers crisis coupled by the highest unemployment rates among the youth is discrediting the government. With the national elections due in May this year, the BJP has launched on its pet agenda of polarizing the society on religious and caste lines.
Four popular rationalist thinkers and activists have been murdered in last two years, left wing student leaders and independent progressive media houses have been slapped with big law suits and fabricated charges to break their backs. With the BJP becoming the richest political party in India with undeclared donations from all the big business and corporate houses, it is loaded with money which they use to patronize vigilante armies to attack and murder Muslims, in fact all the people who are critical of government policies by labeling such voices of dissent as ‘anti-national’.
Since the past few months the government has jailed 9 human rights defenders, including lawyers, writers, poets, activists, under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). (1)
The tenth activist who is being hounded now, Anand Teltumde, is likely to be arrested on 11 February 2019. While many human rights groups and some Left parties in India are using many strategies to counter these attacks, we as ICW have launched campaigns to internationalize this issue. A signature campaign was launched. (2). We have also approached a few journalists from mainstream newspapers such as NY Times, Guardian etc. and hopefully some articles will be published soon on these people incarcerated by the Indian government. We are also preparing papers for the UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights.
We have created a website where you can find Profiles of all these activists (3). For information specific to Anand Teltumde you can also read this article (4).
What can you do ?
There are a few things that I can think of :
A. A public signature campaign aimed at intellectuals and academics in France
B. A petition/Statement from human rights organizations/foundations in France (Frantz Fanon Foundation, for example, could lead this campaign)
C. Influencing major newspapers to write articles (Maybe Thomas can help)
D. There was a statement issued by 9 parliament members from the EU parliament (5). Can you help in getting parliamentarians from the Left in France to issue a statement ?
E. Any other strategy you all can think of.
Thank you all for your attention. If the need be, I can call you or meet over skype to discuss all this is in more detail.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
In solidarity
Feroz
(1) https://indiacivilwatch.org/issues-uapa/
(2) https://thewire.in/rights/anand-teltumbde-un-antonio-guterres-letter
(3) https://indiacivilwatch.org/issues-b12/
(4) https://www.thewire.in/rights/whos-afraid-of-anand-teltumbde