By Muslim Mirror Network
New Delhi, June 07, 2021: We are deeply pained and outraged to learn about the death of Fr. Stan Swamy under judicial custody. Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy was a priest and human rights defender who dedicated and sacrificed his life in seeking rights and justice for the marginalised. The NIA arrested Swamy for alleged links to Maoist forces in the Bhima Koregaon violence case, and booked under draconian UAPA law. The 84-year-old was kept in jail for more than nine months and denied bail, sought on medical grounds.
Stan Swamy had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease before being jailed, and contracted COVID-19 while in prison but the NIA since October repeatedly opposed his bail request in court through its inhuman arguments of no “conclusive proof” of his medical ailments.
APCR General Secretary, Malik Motasim Khan said, “Stan lives in our struggles and memories and we pay our homage to this brave human rights defender who not only devoted his whole life for the cause of the poor and downtrodden but also sparked the flames of struggle in the hearts of many.”
He further stated, “The custodial death of fr. Stan Swamy is a perfect example which depicts how the process becomes punishment whenever the principles of natural justice and human rights are undermined in the hands of authoritarian governments.”
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights strongly feels that the UAPA and other draconian laws must be immediately repealed in order to end the arbitrary, wrongful and unnecessary incarceration of all peace and justice loving HRDs, political activities, journalists, academicians, artists and others. The overcrowded prisons should be decongested and our prison system should be compassionate and humane enough which meets the basic human rights standards. Our punitive criminal justice system calls for urgent reforms to make it more accountable, sensitive and responsive which is competent enough to safeguard the rights and civil liberties of the people of India from the power.
We extend our deepest condolences to Fr. Stan Swamy and his family and loved ones. His contributions and values will always be remembered and will work as a fuel to ignite our fight for rights and justice.
