Feb
6
POTA Updates
February 6, 2004 | Comments Off on POTA Updates
The government of Maharashtra sanctioned the prosecution of six individuals in a special court under POTA for their alleged role in bomb blasts. It claims these six individuals belong to Lashkar-e-Toiba. Vaiko, a politician charged under POTA for backing the Tamil Tigers, was also released on bail. The General section has other posts on POTA, […]
Feb
5
Fears of Torture of Accused Jailbreak Mastermind
February 5, 2004 | Comments Off on Fears of Torture of Accused Jailbreak Mastermind
A series of articles in Indian papers implicitly raise concerns about the use of torture in the interrogation of the accused mastermind of the Punjab Burail jail break. Inspector General (Operations) Sumedh Singh Saini is managing the police investigation of the jailbreak. He has also been in charge of interrogating Narain Singh Chaura, the accused […]
Feb
4
In Investigation in Gujarat Massacre Case, CBI Starts Recovering Human Remains
February 4, 2004 | Comments Off on In Investigation in Gujarat Massacre Case, CBI Starts Recovering Human Remains
For the last several weeks, we have followed developments in the case of Bilkis Yaqoob Rasul, a young woman who was gang-raped during the Gujarat massacre of Muslims in spring 2002, and watched the assailants kill another 14 members of her family, including her 3-year old daughter, two sisters, mother, and two brothers. Two years […]
Feb
3
British Home Secretary’s Convocation Address at Punjab Police Academy
February 3, 2004 | Comments Off on British Home Secretary’s Convocation Address at Punjab Police Academy
British Home Secretary David Blunkett completed a visit to India, which included several stops in Punjab. Blunkett delivered the convocation address at the Punjab Police Academy, becoming the first Home Secretary of any country ever to do so. In his speech, Blunkett stressed Indo-UK police cooperation on training, counterterrorism, and other issues. Last September, as […]
Feb
2
Human Rights Watch Press Conference in Amritsar
February 2, 2004 | Comments Off on Human Rights Watch Press Conference in Amritsar
Here is an article from the Hindustan Times covering the press conference of Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, in Amritsar on the Punjab illegal cremations matter pending before the National Human Rights Commission.
Feb
1
Response to Slanderous Articles on Punjab Human Rights Report
February 1, 2004 | Comments Off on Response to Slanderous Articles on Punjab Human Rights Report
The authors and publisher of Reduced to Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab (May 2003) have responded to the slanderous articles written by Praveen Swami, and published in Frontline magazine on October 25, 2003. The response, Swami’s articles, and comments by readers are available at the report’s website.
Feb
1
Lawyers Claim Rights Violations in Jailbreak Detentions
February 1, 2004 | Comments Off on Lawyers Claim Rights Violations in Jailbreak Detentions
Human rights lawyers met in Chandigarh to discuss the detentions of human rights defenders in the recent arrests related to the Jan. 22 jailbreak discussed in yesterday’s post. The meeting was led by A.S. Chahal, the president of Lawyers for Human Rights International and advocate for one of the accused who escaped. The police have […]