Hi
A Conventiopn is being organised by anti death penalti committee at calicut
on november1st..
Please go through the campaigns/ struggles which lead to this....
Timeline of Struggles by Anti Death Penalty Committee
Anti death penalty committee in Kerala was formed by a group of activists in
Kannur district in March 2005.
2005 May, Thiruvananthapuram : State level Anti Death penalty Convention.
[present education minister] M.A. Baby, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, K.Venu,
B.R.P.Bhaskar etal participated. K.Venu raised the specific issue of the
stagnation in releasing eligible life term prisoners in the state and the
convention formed a committee to look into the issue.
2005 June *Manushyavakasha Memorial*, a mass petition was sent to the
President and prime minister against death penalty.
2005 December 27 [Present chief minister and then opposition leader] V.S.
Achuthananadan responded to the appeal by committee and sent a letter to the
state speaker. The content was as follows: "There is a worldwide consensus
that death penalty is primitive and anti democratic. Against this backdrop
if it is removed from the Indian
Penal code, our democracy will get strengthened further. So, I like to let
you know of my opinion that we should communicate our position on this
through passing a motion against death penalty in the legislative council".
2005 August 16. A massive sit in was organized by the relatives of
prisoners in front of the secretariat demanding action to release eligible
life timers.. Following this, the then chief minister Ummen Chandi declared
a package assuring three steps.1. All life timers who have completed 14
years in jail will be released immediately. 2. Those who have completed 14
years by taking into account of the remissions will be released according to
the recommendations of the Prison review Committee. 3. In order to reinstate
the practice of releasing the eligible prisoners who have completed 8 years
in prison, the government will go for appeal in Supreme Court against the
verdict of high court which blocked the government from going ahead with
that custom.
2006 January 31. Another sit in by relatives of prisoners in front of Kerala
High court at Ernakulam.
2006 September 23 Meera, Sangeetha and Sreeshma, three student activists
protested in front of secretariat by symbolically imprisoning
themselves [demanding
the release of Annamma, an 80 year old prisoner who was kept in jail even
after completing 14 years and despite her poor health conditions , and other
women prisoners ]
2006 October 2 onward [ 40 days] Satyagraha Movement in front of
secretariat demanding new government's initiative in passing the
motion against
death penalty and releasing all eligible life timers immediately. Lot of
activists including Civic Chandran, K.K.Koch, T.K.Vasu, Nalini Jameela, Fr.
George Pulikkuthiyil and Sanni Kapikkad took part in the relay fast.
Following that K. Gireeshkumar , the convenor of the committee went on an
indefinite fast. The apathetic response of the Government of Kerala to this
agitation has been most appalling. The Government has displayed a serious
lack of political will in its failure to respond to these important and just
demands. The indefinite fast by K. Gireeshkumar has, after twelve days,
led to a serious medical condition and Committee decided to end it.
2006 October 10 a joint satyagraha by cultural activists demanding
president's intervention against the death penalty judgment of Afsal Guru.
A Post card campaign was also done.
2006 December 10 Declared as prisoners' day by the committee. A human
rights declaration convention organized at Thiruvananthapuram. A state level
vehicle jatha was also organized under the leadership of K.Gireeshkumar from
Kanjhangad to Thiruvananthapuram. [ In 2001, following the high court
verdict on a suo motto case about the 'indiscriminate' release of life term
prisoners , Kerala govt. stalled all further actions on it. Prison review
committees which recommend the release of eligible prisoners virtually
became nonexistent. Government shied away from exerting their federal rights
in ending this impasse. About 500 life timers including a lot of aged, ailing
and women prisoners are thus kept illegally in Kerala jails. ]
2007 April 22 K. Gireeshkumar commenced indefinite fast in front of
secretariat demanding the release of Annamma and all other eligible life
timers. *Annamma was released *on April 27th. She visited Gireesh after the
release. An emotional moment to be cherished by all human rights activists
who joined this historic battle. On 28th three others were released from
open jail. Even after that 56 prisoners who been recommended by Jail
advisory Committee [upon completing 14 years in jail] were yet to be
released.
2007 june 2007 Suresh Babu and Ummer two prisoners who have spent 14 years
in Jail went on indefinite fast in Viyyur jail, trisuur. When it reached six
days, V.R.Krishna Aiyer intervened and talked to the minister. Jail
authorities requested Gireeshkumar to be present as well. DIG Balakrishnan
Nair assured Gireesh that no retaliatory measures will be initiated against
the protesting prisoners. Minister assured [through a message sent to
Krishna Aiyyer] that immediate steps will be taken for releasing the
eligible prisoners.
2007 July 10 Haritharali in Thiruvananthapuram demanding human rights of
prisoners. Anweshi, CPI[ML] , Gothra mahasabha, Campus Front, Porattam,
NISA, PUCL, Dalit Students Movement, Vidhava Aagathi Munnettam and several
other organizations came under one platform.
2007 September4 Haritharali in Calicut. More than two hundred activists
took part in it.
2007 November 1 A Convention protesting in Kerala government's move to
implement video conferencing for remand prisoners to take place in Calicut.
--
Dileep R I thuravoor
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