- Binayak Sen: Trumped up charges?
THE Protestant churches got together to express solidarity with human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) condemned the ‘unjust attitude’ of the Chhattisgarh government and described Sen’s conviction as a ‘politically motivated’ decision.
In a statement issued to the media, Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, NCCI general secretary, said: “We strongly condemn such unlawful activities of states in shutting up whistleblowers’ voices against structural injustices on communities by misusing the state and legislative machineries.”
Criticising the verdict as a ‘vindictive action’, he said it will only weaken civil society movements that ‘fight for dignity of life and livelihood.’
Dr. Sen was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of sedition for allegedly helping Maoist rebels in their fight against the state government.
In the statement, NCCI demanded that the Central and State governments release Sen immediately after dropping all politically motivated charges against him.
Sen’s sentence has angered rights activists both within the country and outside.
Amnesty International condemned the verdict and said “it violated international fair trial standards.”
Calling Sen a prisoner of conscience, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific director Sam Zarifi said: “Life in prison is an unusually harsh sentence for anyone, much less for an internationally recognized human rights defender who has never been charged with any acts of violence.”
In a statement, Zarifi said: “Instead of persecuting Dr. Sen, the authorities in Chhattisgarh should be acting to protect the people of the region from the abuses committed by Maoists, as well as state security forces and militias.”
Sen, a pediatrician, is the national vice president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties. While working with the state government on health sector reforms, he has strongly criticized the Chhattisgarh government for alleged human rights violations during the anti-Naxal drive.
