Nobel laureates appeal for the release of Indian rights activist
Twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world have appealed to the Indian government to release jailed human rights activist Binayak Sen.
The appeal has been made in a letter to Indian president and prime minister. They say Dr Sen be allowed to travel to the US to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights announced in April. Dr Sen has been held in prison accused of links to Maoist rebels for nearly a year. He denies the charge. 'Grave concern' The Nobel Prize-winning scientists and economists said in the letter that Dr Sen should be allowed to receive the award in Washington on May 29. "We also wish to express grave concern that Dr Sen appears to be incarcerated solely for peacefully exercising his fundamental human rights," the letter said. This is "in contravention of Articles 19 (freedom of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - to which India is a state party - and that he is charged under two internal security laws that do not comport with international human rights standards," it added. A press release issued by Free Binayak Sen Campaign says hundreds of people across the globe will be holding protest demonstrations on May 14 - the first anniversary of his arrest - demanding his immediate release. Campaigns are planned across several Indian cities including New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Calcutta. Protests will also be held in London, Paris, Stockholm and Toronto and 10 north American cities including New York. Conferring the award on Dr Sen last month, the Global Health Council said he was chosen for his services to poor and tribal communities. He was also chosen for what the council called his unwavering commitment to civil liberties and human rights. Dr Sen is also the vice president of the Indian human rights group People's Union for Civil Liberties. The Mann award is given yearly in memory of Dr Jonathan Mann, an epidemiologist who set up the World Health Organisation's first Aids programme. The award was decided by an international jury of public health professionals. Signatories to the letter include 9 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine, 9 in Chemistry, 2 in Physics and 2 in Economics. These luminaries are John Polanyi (Chemistry 1986), Francois Jacob (Medicine 1965), Roger Guillemin (Medicine 1977), Charles Townes (Physics 1964), John Polanyi (Chemistry 1986), Peter Agre (Chemistry 2003), Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (Physics 1997), Robert Curl (Chemistry1996), Johann Diesenhofer (Chemistry 1988), Paul Greengard (Physiology or Medicine 2000), Eric Kandel (Physiology or Medicine 2000), Sir Harald Kroto (Chemistry 1996), Yuan T. Lee (Chemistry 1986), Craig C. Mello (Physiology or Medicine 2006), F. Sherwood Rwoland (Chemistry 1995), Jens C. Skou (Chemistry 1997), Phillip A. Sharp (Physiology or Medicine 1993), Harold Varmus (Physiology or Medicine 1989), Sir John E. Walker (Chemistry 1997), Torsten Wiesel (Physiology or Medicine 1981) and the world-renowned economists Kenneth J. Arrow (Economics 1972) and Finn Kydland (Economics 2004). Source: BBC and Free Binayak Sen Campaign |
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