Threat to Teesta Setalvad and other rights activists, lawyers working for justice for the victims of 2002 Gujarat pogrom

The following statement was released in a meeting held today January 04, 2011 at Prashant, Ahmedabad. A large number of Human Rights Activists participated in the meeting. Apart from those present the statement has also been signed by the activists from others parts of India.

STATEMENT

We strongly condemn the malicious and motivated campaign against human rights activists and their lawyers struggling for justice for the victims of the genocidal carnage in Gujarat in 2002.

The patently false allegations of doctoring evidence are being orchestrated at a time when crucial trials are nearing completion and accused among whom are powerful politicians and policemen face charges of criminal conspiracy and murder.

The allegations against Teesta Setalvad secretary Citizens for Justice and Peace and the organisation she represents as well as advocate Sohail Tirmizi a lawyer who has fought tirelessly for justice were spearheaded first by the state of Gujarat, then fuelled by a former employee.

The recent attempt to file an application before the bar council for the cancellation of the ’sanad’ of five lawyers namely- Mukul Sinha, Amrish Patel, SH Iyer, Shamshad Pathan and Sohail Tirmizi, through an accused of Naroda Patiya is condemnable.

The timings of the malafide allegations are aimed at derailing the course of justice and come at a time when the apex court is poised to hear a complaint of conspiracy to commit mass murder, subversion of justice and destruction of evidence.

The brazen attempts need to be seen for what they are given the seriousness of the charges against the Gujarat state and its functionaries.

Dev Desai

Dhirendra Panda

Dr Ghanshyam Shah

Dr. Harshavardhan Hegde

Feroza Nooruni

Fr Cedric Prakash sj

Gaurang Raval

Gautam Thakar

Govind Parmar

Hanif Lakdawala

Harsh Mander

Hiren Gandhi

Hozefa

John

Junaid Ansari

Kavita Srivastava

Mahesh Pandya

Manisha Sethi

Manisha Trivedi

Manoj Sharma

Mansi Sharma

Meena Jagtap

MM Tirmizi

Mukhtar Sheikh

Mukul Sinha

Nadeem

Nafeesa Barot

Nandita Das

Nasiruddin Haider Khan

Noorjahan Dewan

Prasad Chako

Prashant Bhushan

Praveen Mishra

Prof Anuradha Chenoy

Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy

Prof KM Shrimali

Prof KN Panikkar

Prof Rooprekha Verma

Prof. Ram Puniyani

Rasheeda

Roopa

Satya Sivaraman

Seema Duhan

Shabnam Hashmi

Sheba George

Sonal Patel

Sophia Khan

Uma Chakravarty