06 July,2021 05:39 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Stan Swamy. File Pic
The UN body on human rights has said it was deeply saddened and disturbed by the death of 84-year-old rights activist Stan Swamy during his pre-trial detention.
It said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and the United Nations' independent experts have repeatedly raised the cases of Swamy, a Jesuit priest, and 15 other human rights defenders with the Indian government over the last three years and urged for their release from detention. Swamy, who was arrested in 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, died at a Mumbai hospital on July 5.
"We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the death of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy, a human rights defender and Jesuit priest, in Mumbai on July 5, following his arrest in October 2020 under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," Liz Throssell, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said.
"Father Stan had been held in pre-trial detention without bail since his arrest, charged with terrorism-related offences in relation to demonstrations that date back to 2018," she said in a statement.
Throssell said Swamy was a long-standing activist, particularly on the rights of indigenous people and other marginalised groups. "High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and the UN's independent experts have repeatedly raised the cases of Father Stan and 15 other human rights defenders associated with the same events with the government of India over the past three years and urged their release from pre-trial detention," she said. "The High Commissioner has also raised concerns over the use of the UAPA in relation to human rights defenders, a law Father Stan was challenging before Indian courts days before he died," she added.
ALSO READ
'Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, Houston spew most greenhouse gas of world cities'
United Nations faces uncertainty as Trump returns to US presidency
World leaders descend on Azerbaijan's capital Baku for United Nations climate talks
Afghanistan attends United Nations climate talks for first time since Taliban's return to power
Trump chooses New York Rep Elise Stefanik as ambassador to United Nations
Also Read: Stan Swamy's death an institutional murder: Family, friends
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
