Moments to the new year and the ambience seems to be getting grimmer. Not referring to the extreme cold and snow in the UK and US that is affecting consumers (and the greedy capitalists) in the shopping season, but to the gross human right violations that have shook the foundations of civil society. Julian Assange, Dr. Binayak Sen and Jonathan Pollak – all noted activists, are under arrest for voicing their dissent against authoritarian regimes.
On December 24, Dr. Binayak Sen, a celebrated human rights activist and Paediatrician, along with two others were sentenced to life by Justice Verma for criminal conspiracy to commit sedition, under Section 124(a) read with 20 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sentenced them to life imprisonment. His real crime – he exposed the atrocities of the Chattisgarh government and became a voice for the voiceless.
Dr. Sen, the national vice-president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and recipient of numerous international awards for his human rights work, was arrested in May 2007 on charges of alleged links with Maoists. He served in prison for two years without any charge and was finally given bail in May 2009, after being denied bail by the Supreme Court in 2007.
The Supreme Court has held that the charge of sedition can be upheld only if the prosecution proves that the accused attempted to incite violence or public disorder. It is clear that this case doesn't meet that standard.
On December 28, noted activist Jonathan Pollak was sentenced to three months in prison by an Israeli court for riding his bike in a protest against the Gaza siege. Tel Aviv Magistrate court Yitzhak Yitzhak convicted Israeli leftist Jonathan Pollak of illegally assembly in his participation in a January 2008 Critical Mass Ride against the siege on Gaza.
On December 7, Julian Assange, journalist and internet activist, was arrested in London for allegedly raping two women in Sweden (The crime seems to be that he wasn’t wearing a condom or it broke; Swedish rape laws are quite different). He was released on bail on 16 December. By pressing these charges, Swedish authorities have been trying to get Assange extradited to Sweden, and they in turn are expected to extradite him to the US. Sweden has strong extradition treaties with the US.
Among the files released by WikiLeaks includes a video footage showing innocent Iraqis and two of Reuter’s journalists gunned down by a US chopper, Afghan and Iraq war logs, and the ongoing leaks of US diplomatic cables.
There is a growing trend of ‘state terrorism’- an authoritarian state employing any and all means to silence dissent. Any stance that is against or questions its policies and actions is considered a threat.
These incidents, just a drop in the ocean, pose a grave threat to the fabric of democracy (if it exists at all). This is the very thread that separates us from the very likes of China, Iran, Israel (it is very much a military state), North Korea and so on.
Whats the point in having freedom without rights?
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