Amnesty pleads for ending solitary confinement of Mumbai terror suspect, govt says "no"

Ansari

In a statement which is likely to turn controversial in India, one of the world’s top-most human rights organizations, Amnesty International, has pitched for ending the solitary confinement of Zabiuddin Ansari, suspected of planning and coordinating the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. His health is said to be deteriorating after he decided to be on a wet hunger strike on August 5, which continues till date.
In support its argument, Amnesty has cited the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which states that solitary confinement for over 15 consecutive days amounts to prolonged confinement and should be prohibited.
“The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has said that prolonged solitary confinement can cause severe mental pain or suffering, and can amount to torture or other ill-treatment”, Amnesty said, adding, “India’s Supreme Court has ruled that solitary confinement can violate the right to life and personal liberty recognized by the Constitution.”
Ansari was arrested in June 2012, and is facing trial on charges of planning and coordinating the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 164 people and wounded over 300. "Since August 5, he has been on a wet hunger strike (taking liquids but not food) protesting against his indefinite and prolonged solitary confinement at the Mumbai Central Prison", said Amnesty.
Ansari has been variously described as an Indian national and an Islamic fundamentalist/terrorist, belonging to Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). His name was reportedly listed in the "50 most wanted criminals sheltered in Pakistan" released by India on 21 May 2011.
One who served as the handler of the 10 LeT terrorists during 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ansari Ais also an accused in several cases such as the Ahmedabad railway station blast case of February 19, 2006 and the Aurangabad arms haul case of May 2006.He was deported from Saudi Arabia on June 25, 2012.
Amnesty quotes Ansari’s lawyers as saying his health is “deteriorating” and that he is “extremely weak and cannot walk without support.” They confirmed, Ansari has been asking jail authorities to remove him from isolation.
Brushing aside Ansari’s plea, the Maharashtra government has that the solitary confinement is necessary to “ensure” Ansari’s safety. Ansari has been in the Mumbai Central Prison ever since he was captured, and has been held in solitary confinement in pretrial detention for over two years and eight months.
In August 2013, Ansari petitioned the Bombay High Court in order to end his solitary confinement, Amnesty said, adding, the court rejected his plea, stating that the prison management was authorized to take any steps they thought necessary in the interest of the safety and security of prisoners.
On September 4, Ansari petitioned the Supreme Court, where he stated that he is being detained in a cell without windows, illuminated only by a high-voltage electric bulb that is never switched off, making the cell seem like a “furnace”.
Amnesty wants people to immediately write in English or any other language, urging the authorities that Ansari’s solitary confinement should end, and ensure he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.
The organization also wants the state government “to ensure that he receives any medical attention he may require and has access to an independent doctor of his choice.”
Amnesty wants signatories to send their appeals to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis before November 9, 2015, either in writing to the Mantralaya, or through email to chiefminister@maharashtra.gov.in, with copies to BM Bhosle, Mumbai Central Prison (Arthur Road Jail); and to diplomatic representatives accredited to different countries.

Comments

Dalit rights and political tensions: Why is Mevani at odds with Congress leadership?

While I have known Jignesh Mevani, one of the dozen-odd Congress MLAs from Gujarat, ever since my Gandhinagar days—when he was a young activist aligned with well-known human rights lawyer Mukul Sinha’s organisation, Jan Sangharsh Manch—he became famous following the July 2016 Una Dalit atrocity, in which seven members of a family were brutally assaulted by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes while skinning a dead cow, a traditional occupation among Dalits.

Powering pollution, heating homes: Why are Delhi residents opposing incineration-based waste management

While going through the 50-odd-page report Burning Waste, Warming Cities? Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Incineration and Urban Heat in Delhi , authored by Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran of the well-known advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability, I came across a reference to Sukhdev Vihar — a place where I lived for almost a decade before moving to Moscow in 1986 as the foreign correspondent of the daily Patriot and weekly Link .

Boeing 787 under scrutiny again after Ahmedabad crash: Whistleblower warnings resurface

A heart-wrenching tragedy has taken place in Ahmedabad. As widely reported, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city’s airport, currently operated by India’s top tycoon, Gautam Adani. The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. As expected, the crash has led to an outpouring of grief across the country. At the same time, there have been demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Civil Aviation Minister.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Global NGO slams India for media clampdown during conflict, downplays Pakistan

A global civil rights group, Civicus has taken strong exception to how critical commentaries during the “recent conflict” with Pakistan were censored in India, with journalists getting “targeted”. I have no quarrel with the Civicus view, as the facts mentioned in it are all true.

Remembering Vijay Rupani: A quiet BJP leader who listened beyond party lines

Late evening on June 12, a senior sociologist of Indian origin, who lives in Vienna, asked me a pointed question: Of the 241 persons who died as a result of the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad the other day, did I know anyone? I had no hesitation in telling her: former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, whom I described to her as "one of the more sensible persons in the BJP leadership."

Whither SCOPE? Twelve years on, Gujarat’s official English remains frozen in time

While writing my previous blog on how and why Narendra Modi went out of his way to promote English when he was Gujarat chief minister — despite opposition from people in the Sangh Parivar — I came across an interesting write-up by Aakar Patel, a well-known name among journalists and civil society circles.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Why India’s renewable energy sector struggles under 2,735 compliance hurdles

Recently, during a conversation with an industry representative, I was told how easy it is to set up a startup in Singapore compared to India. This gentleman, who had recently visited Singapore, explained that one of the key reasons Indians living in the Southeast Asian nation prefer establishing startups there is because the government is “extremely supportive” when it comes to obtaining clearances. “They don’t want to shift operations to India due to the large number of bureaucratic hurdles,” he remarked.

Search This Blog