Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 14th
July 2015 : Human Rights Defenders Alerts– India (HRDA) is shocked to
hear about the raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at
the premises of social activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed
Anand, Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and office of Sabrang Communications and
Publishing in Mumbai. HRDA
strongly condemns this action by the CBI which comes in despite
complete cooperation as submitted in writing by Teesta Setalvad to the
CBI for all matters of investigation which is still ongoing. This
is not the first time the activists working for justice and truth with
regard to ‘Gujarat Riots’ have been targeted. Teesta Setalvad herself
has been targeted in several other false criminal cases for which she
had to seek anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court. It is clearly a
part of repeated attempts to discredit human rights defenders and
attacks on them.
Last
week on July 8, 2015, the CBI registered a case against Ms Setalvad and
her organisation under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section related to
criminal conspiracy (120-B) read with sections 35, 37 of IPC and sections 3, 11 and 19
of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for receiving funds
from abroad without seeking the home ministry's permission. In the First
Information Report (FIR), the CBI also named Ms Setalvad's husband
Javed Anand and Gulam Mohammed Peshimam, both directors in Sabrang
Communications and Publishing based in Santacruz, Mumbai.
There
were a series of inspections of the accounts of the organisations
Teesta Setalvad has been associated with i.e. Sabrang Trust and Citizens
for Justice and Peace. These organisations have sent in over 25,000
pages of documentation answering every query about funding. Despite
this, the CBI has reportedly filed an FIR against Teesta Setalvad. HRDA
believes, Teesta Setalvad has been hounded by the Government of India
for her work to seek justice for past 13 years against the architects
and perpetrators of the Gujarat Riots. These ongoing harassments of
Teesta Setalvad and her colleagues at Sabrang Trust, Sabrang Communications and Publishing
and Citizens for Justice and Peace is a gross tactic and blatant abuse
of the State machinery by the Government of India to threaten human
rights defenders (HRDs) working on the issues of justice and to ensure
that a large part of HRDs time which otherwise would have focused on
work related to justice is now spent running from one court to another.
HRDA
strongly condemns the ongoing attacks on human rights defenders working
to establish truth and justice in the Gujarat Riots and in this
particular case of attack on Teesta Setalvad and the organisations she
has been associated with. These repeated attempts by the Government of
India to push the activists on defensive line have constantly failed
over the past 13 years. The response of the State is contrary
to the assurances of states in the UN Declaration of HRDs which in fact
emphasizes all the work that Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand and their
colleagues have been carrying on patiently and silently.
HRDA
also requests the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC)
through its Chairperson, Members and Focal Point for HRDs to immediately
move and direct adequate protection of Teesta Setalvad to ensure her
non arrest and guarantee freedom of peaceful association and assembly
and to carry out their mandates which in this case are the organisations
Teesta Setalvad has been associated with.
About HRDA:
Human
Rights Defenders Alert – India is a national network for the protection
and promotion of human rights defenders in the country floated by
participants of two Participatory Learning Workshops on Rights and
Responsibilities of Human Rights Defenders regional trainings that the
trainers from the said workshops conducted.
Human
Rights Defenders Alert – India is a platform to extend solidarity and
assistance to Human Rights Defenders in trouble / at risk. Becoming a
member of the Human Rights Defenders Alert – India will make you part of
a larger family of human rights defenders and ensure strengthening of
the forum and greater support from the human rights community in India.
For More information contact:
Mr. Mathew Jacob, National Coordinator, HRDA-India, 6, Vallabai Road, Madurai – 625002. Mobile: 99943 68540
With regards,
Sd/-
(Henri Tiphagne)
Honorary National Working Secretary
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For more information and sources related to HRDA visit www.hrdaindia.org
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