India
22.02.01
Urgent Interventions
India: Extra-judicial killing
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
IND 001 / 0201 / OBS 016
Extra-judicial killing
INDIA
22nd February 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in India.
Brief description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by Amnesty International of the extra-judicial killing of Mohammad Azam Ali, the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) Nalgonda branch District Secretary, on 18th February 2001
He was reportedly killed by two unidentified men in Nalgonda town. He was about to attend a meeting to commemorate the death of APCLC Joint Secretary T. Puroshottam, who was attacked and killed in similar circumstances in November 2000 (See IND 001 / 0011 / OBS 117)
The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the killing of human rights defender Azam Ali. The Home Minister announced the inquiry in a statement to the Legislative Assembly, in which he condemned the killing. However, Observatory is concerned that the state government has not provided vital information about the scope of the inquiry, how long it will last and who will be in charge. Furthermore, the independent character of this inquiry is important in investigating the possible connivance between the police and the killers of both Puroshottam and Azam Ali.
According to Amnesty International, there are reports that Azam Ali's killers are ex-members of an armed group, with links to the two men in judicial custody accused of the killing of T. Puroshottam. Despite repeated appeals, the police have refused to order a judicial inquiry into the killing of T. Puroshottam, or into the continuing threats against human rights defenders and allegations that police have been actively involved in attacks on human rights defenders.
Action requested :
Please write to the Indian authorities urging them to:
i.- order an immediate impartial and independent investigation into this killing ;
ii.- abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998 (« Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ») and more particularly article 12.2 which provides that « The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration »).
iii.- more generally abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and the international covenants ratified by India.
Addresses :
H.E. President K.R. Narayanan, Office of the President, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi 110 004, INDIA Fax: 91-11-301 7290 / 7824
H.E. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India-110 011 Fax: 91-11-3019545 / 91-11-3016857 E-mail: indun@undp.org
Justice Venkatachellaih, Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, Sardar Patel Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 11001, India. Fax: 91-11-334 0016
Mr Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Office of the Chief Minister, Secretariat Building, Hyderabad 500 022, Andhra Pradesh, India, Fax: + 91 40 345 7824
C. Rangarajan, Governor, Andhra Pradesh, Rajya Bhavan, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Fax: + 91 40 331 1260
Mr Lal Krishna Advani, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, North Block, New Delhi 110 001, India.
Geneva-Paris, 22nd February 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above. The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax: +033 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch
IND 001 / 0201 / OBS 016
Extra-judicial killing
INDIA
22nd February 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in India.
Brief description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by Amnesty International of the extra-judicial killing of Mohammad Azam Ali, the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) Nalgonda branch District Secretary, on 18th February 2001
He was reportedly killed by two unidentified men in Nalgonda town. He was about to attend a meeting to commemorate the death of APCLC Joint Secretary T. Puroshottam, who was attacked and killed in similar circumstances in November 2000 (See IND 001 / 0011 / OBS 117)
The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the killing of human rights defender Azam Ali. The Home Minister announced the inquiry in a statement to the Legislative Assembly, in which he condemned the killing. However, Observatory is concerned that the state government has not provided vital information about the scope of the inquiry, how long it will last and who will be in charge. Furthermore, the independent character of this inquiry is important in investigating the possible connivance between the police and the killers of both Puroshottam and Azam Ali.
According to Amnesty International, there are reports that Azam Ali's killers are ex-members of an armed group, with links to the two men in judicial custody accused of the killing of T. Puroshottam. Despite repeated appeals, the police have refused to order a judicial inquiry into the killing of T. Puroshottam, or into the continuing threats against human rights defenders and allegations that police have been actively involved in attacks on human rights defenders.
Action requested :
Please write to the Indian authorities urging them to:
i.- order an immediate impartial and independent investigation into this killing ;
ii.- abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998 (« Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ») and more particularly article 12.2 which provides that « The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration »).
iii.- more generally abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and the international covenants ratified by India.
Addresses :
H.E. President K.R. Narayanan, Office of the President, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi 110 004, INDIA Fax: 91-11-301 7290 / 7824
H.E. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India-110 011 Fax: 91-11-3019545 / 91-11-3016857 E-mail: indun@undp.org
Justice Venkatachellaih, Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, Sardar Patel Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 11001, India. Fax: 91-11-334 0016
Mr Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Office of the Chief Minister, Secretariat Building, Hyderabad 500 022, Andhra Pradesh, India, Fax: + 91 40 345 7824
C. Rangarajan, Governor, Andhra Pradesh, Rajya Bhavan, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Fax: + 91 40 331 1260
Mr Lal Krishna Advani, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, North Block, New Delhi 110 001, India.
Geneva-Paris, 22nd February 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above. The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax: +033 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch