PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2008 ID-48212
.
.
prisoner has been released in certain specific instances, the traumatic life after acquittal for the prisoner denotes the magnitude of the .
prejudice that society has undergone vis-a-vis the hatred and hysteria of the 'war against terror' created by the state. Political Prisoners are the measure of our humanity: Political prisoners are people who are convinced about the possibility of a better society for the greater common good. Not only were the convinced about the need for a better world but were deeply involved in making it .
a possihility. One might disagree with their ideology. Yet some might have reservations about t he means they resort for the betterment of a world of miseries and wretchedness. Those who are in power might strongly disagree with their socio-economic and political aspirations. .
I.
These people, who are defied the light of the day, condemned to live death within the dark walls of the prison by the powers that be, .
belong to a wide spectrum of political beliefs through which they dream to espouse the social cause that they have given their life. .
It is this conviction that forced Rabindra Nath Tagore to defend the cause ofthe political prisoner during the days of anti-colonial struggle .
against the British. The people who fought against British were also against the exploitation and oppression of the freedom loving people of .
India. Today when India is being sold in the form of Special Economic Zones, for loot and plunder of her forest wealth, mineral wealth, .
water, land, people, everything, by the rich and powerful, made possible by the rulers of this country, it is natural for the freedom loving .
people to oppose and fight it. Anyone who fights against any form of oppression, exploitation, mistreatment and discrimination cannot be a .
.
prisoner. .
Defending the rights of the Political Prisoner: The jails are often overcrowded with the worst hygiene conditions. The jail manual is hardly .
.
follow~d. A good number of prisoners are condemned to rot in the prisons as they have hardly any means to meet the bail fee. The .
preamble ofthe United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights ensures the need for countries to uphold the rights of anyone .
.
resorting to dissent against the policies of the State. This guarantees the rights of the political prisoner. Contrary to the claim of being the .
largest democracy in the world, India has not even recognised political prisoner as a category. Though the West Bengal government has .
.
come up with a definition of the political prisoner it is never implemented. It becomes important to defend the right of the political .
prisoner to have safeguards against all forms of torture, rape, solitary confinement, right to have a lawyer of their choice, right to books, .
.
periodicals, to communicate, assemble among themselves, right to their religion. .
.
Especially, at a time when there is a growing consensus among the judiciary, executive and the legislature with active connivance ofthe .
fourth estate to deny any possible rights to political prisoners. In such a scenario, for a political prisoner, it becomes important to fight for .
every moment of her/his life behind bars. There is no other way the right ofthe political prisoner can be achieved as she/he has been .
.
denied the right to express their political opin:::>n or to organise on that basis. .
.
The inaugural conference on political prisoners is a historic and definite step in this direction. The memories of the days of emergency .
.
revisits us a cold reminder. It brings back the memories of the days of anti-colonial struggle, that of the valiant resistance of Bahadur Shah .
against the East India Company and the attendant hanging to death of thousands of Muslims belonging to the slaughter community. It .
.
enlivens the spirit of the heroic martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Ashfaqullah; of Bhoomaiah and Kishta Goud in Telangana .
.
in the 60s; the memory of Maqbhool Bhat being shown the gallows in the 80s. .
.
In Solidarity, .
Amit Bhattacharyya .
Coordinator, .
Convenor's Committee of the Conference Preparatory Committee .
Surendra Mohan, A Marx, Amit Bhattacharyya, SAR Geelani, GN Saibaba, Rona Wilson .
.
5 March 2008-03-09 .
For the Conference on Political Prisoners .
Addres~: 185/3, Fourth Floor, Zakir Nagar, New Delhi-110025 .
Ph: 09836318354 09810081228 09871498354 Email: thearrested1@gmail.com .
.
.
~ .
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2008 ID-48212
.
.
prisoner has been released in certain specific instances, the traumatic life after acquittal for the prisoner denotes the magnitude of the .
prejudice that society has undergone vis-a-vis the hatred and hysteria of the 'war against terror' created by the state. Political Prisoners are the measure of our humanity: Political prisoners are people who are convinced about the possibility of a better society for the greater common good. Not only were the convinced about the need for a better world but were deeply involved in making it .
a possihility. One might disagree with their ideology. Yet some might have reservations about t he means they resort for the betterment of a world of miseries and wretchedness. Those who are in power might strongly disagree with their socio-economic and political aspirations. .
I.
These people, who are defied the light of the day, condemned to live death within the dark walls of the prison by the powers that be, .
belong to a wide spectrum of political beliefs through which they dream to espouse the social cause that they have given their life. .
It is this conviction that forced Rabindra Nath Tagore to defend the cause ofthe political prisoner during the days of anti-colonial struggle .
against the British. The people who fought against British were also against the exploitation and oppression of the freedom loving people of .
India. Today when India is being sold in the form of Special Economic Zones, for loot and plunder of her forest wealth, mineral wealth, .
water, land, people, everything, by the rich and powerful, made possible by the rulers of this country, it is natural for the freedom loving .
people to oppose and fight it. Anyone who fights against any form of oppression, exploitation, mistreatment and discrimination cannot be a .
.
prisoner. .
Defending the rights of the Political Prisoner: The jails are often overcrowded with the worst hygiene conditions. The jail manual is hardly .
.
follow~d. A good number of prisoners are condemned to rot in the prisons as they have hardly any means to meet the bail fee. The .
preamble ofthe United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights ensures the need for countries to uphold the rights of anyone .
.
resorting to dissent against the policies of the State. This guarantees the rights of the political prisoner. Contrary to the claim of being the .
largest democracy in the world, India has not even recognised political prisoner as a category. Though the West Bengal government has .
.
come up with a definition of the political prisoner it is never implemented. It becomes important to defend the right of the political .
prisoner to have safeguards against all forms of torture, rape, solitary confinement, right to have a lawyer of their choice, right to books, .
.
periodicals, to communicate, assemble among themselves, right to their religion. .
.
Especially, at a time when there is a growing consensus among the judiciary, executive and the legislature with active connivance ofthe .
fourth estate to deny any possible rights to political prisoners. In such a scenario, for a political prisoner, it becomes important to fight for .
every moment of her/his life behind bars. There is no other way the right ofthe political prisoner can be achieved as she/he has been .
.
denied the right to express their political opin:::>n or to organise on that basis. .
.
The inaugural conference on political prisoners is a historic and definite step in this direction. The memories of the days of emergency .
.
revisits us a cold reminder. It brings back the memories of the days of anti-colonial struggle, that of the valiant resistance of Bahadur Shah .
against the East India Company and the attendant hanging to death of thousands of Muslims belonging to the slaughter community. It .
.
enlivens the spirit of the heroic martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Ashfaqullah; of Bhoomaiah and Kishta Goud in Telangana .
.
in the 60s; the memory of Maqbhool Bhat being shown the gallows in the 80s. .
.
In Solidarity, .
Amit Bhattacharyya .
Coordinator, .
Convenor's Committee of the Conference Preparatory Committee .
Surendra Mohan, A Marx, Amit Bhattacharyya, SAR Geelani, GN Saibaba, Rona Wilson .
.
5 March 2008-03-09 .
For the Conference on Political Prisoners .
Addres~: 185/3, Fourth Floor, Zakir Nagar, New Delhi-110025 .
Ph: 09836318354 09810081228 09871498354 Email: thearrested1@gmail.com .
.
.
~ .
.