VANCOUVER – Several South Asian organizations declared their solidarity and support for Indian human rights activists who were arrested by Indian authorities

“We, the undersigned of Indian descent in Canada, strongly condemn the arrest of senior human rights activist Teesta Setalvad by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and demand that all prisoners of conscience in India be freed immediately. Teesta Setalvad is one of India’s most important human rights defenders, a Padma Shri awardee, and a journalist with an excellent open record of meaningful work,” said lead organization South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD) in a press release.

Teesta Setalvad’s detention comes a day after the unfortunate decision of the Supreme Court of India to dismiss a petition filed by her along with Zakia Jafri, whose husband Ehsan Jafri was murdered during the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, giving ‘clean chit’ to Modi. The petition sought to investigate the role of PM Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat’s Chief Minister. The Gujarat police lost no time arresting Teesta Setalvad and handing her over to the Crime Branch on Saturday (25 June 2022, Emergency Anniversary Day), who has stood with Ms. Jafri and other affected victims throughout the trial. The action is so cruel that Teesta has, in the written complaint, stated, “I fear seriously for my life.” The First Information Report (FIR) under which she has been detained also accuses the former Gujarat ADGP R.B Sreekumar and DIG Sanjiv Bhatt (who is already in jail in a concocted case) of conspiring to fabricate evidence, tutor witnesses, and abuse the process of law. Soon thereafter, Mr. Sreekumar was arrested from his Ahmedabad residence.

Since the coming of the right-wing government at the center in 2014, Teesta Setalvad has been facing a series of systematic actions of harassment, including judicial proceedings based on spurious charges of alleged embezzlement of funds intended for the construction of a memorial to the victims of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom. Most recently, on 14 July 2015, her house and office were raided by officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation, and on 29 June 2015, a travel ban was imposed on her.

At times when democratic values are systematically dismantled in India, human rights defenders are openly hounded on the ground so that any opposition that holds the government accountable ceases to exist. Teesta’s arrest is a clear message to scare and silence the voices fighting for the human rights of minorities and marginalized and upholding constitutional freedom. 

“We condemn such acts of duplicity, hypocrisy, and brazen injustice. We demand that this false and vindictive FIR be canceled forthwith, and Teesta Setalvad and others detained under this FIR be released immediately. We stand in solidarity with them,” they said.

South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Vancouver

CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud), Montreal 

Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg

Secular Peoples’ Association, Edmonton

Gursharan Singh Memorial Lecture Committee, Vancouver