Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Information
    • History
    • Leadership
  • CCS Active Case Updates
  • Human Rights Resources
    • Human Rights Orgs
    • General HR Res
    • US Govt Agencies
  • Donations

Human Rights Defender Saibaba Held in Prison in Inhumane Conditions

June 27, 2022

The health of severely handicapped human rights defender Dr. Saibaba continues to deteriorate. CCS demands his release from prison.

https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=37065&emci=3578f24a-34f3-ec11-b47a-281878b83d8a&emdi=d8155de8-4ff3-ec11-b47a-281878b83d8a&ceid=1661962

June 27, 2022

Shri Ram Nath Kovind
President
Republic of India
Rashtrpati Bhavan,
New Delhi, 110004
India
Phone: 91-11-2301-5321
Twitter: @PresidentOfIndia
RE: Dr. Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba

Dear President Kovind:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues throughout the world.

We have repeatedly asked your government to intercede in the case of Dr. Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba, an English professor at Delhi University, who is serving a life sentence for his human rights advocacy on behalf of groups that have suffered from abuses by Salwa Judum vigilantes during the conflict between the Indian government and the separatist (Maoist) Communist Party of India (CPI).

Dr. Saibaba was initially arrested in May 2014 and was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2017 for his alleged membership in the Communist Party, which the Government of India considers a terrorist organization, and for his academic studies on the conflict between the government and the CPI.

We wrote to you about Dr. Saibaba in September 2018 and again in June 2020 and January 2022, calling for his release on humanitarian grounds.

We feel it is important to write to you again. Dr. Saibaba suffers from post-polio syndrome, a heart condition, a brain cyst, hypertension, and breathing difficulties. His health worsened dramatically since his 2014 arrest. According to reports, he has twice been infected with COVID-19. He has also developed numerous other life-threatening conditions, including pancreatitis, gallstones, severe urinary pain, and rectal bleeding.

He requires the use of a wheelchair, but prison facilities do not fully accommodate such use. Most recently it was reported that Dr. Saibaba’s health has deteriorated to such a degree that he needed constant support from two persons for such functions as sitting, eating, drinking, and using the bathroom.

Both Dr. Saibaba’s imprisonment for peaceful activities and the abusive treatment he is receiving in prison violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Republic of India has agreed. Therefore, we urge GOI to release
Dr. Saibaba promptly, at least on medical parole, so that he may receive the medical treatment that is needed to restore his health.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will closely follow developments in
Dr. Saibaba’s case.

Sincerely,
signatures
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Cc:
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Minister of External Affairs
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi, Delhi, India 110001
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @MEAIndia
Email: usdd2@meaindia.in

Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken

H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu
Ambassador
Embassy of the Republic of India
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: 202-939-7000
Fax: 202-265-4351
Email: psamb.washington@mea.gov.in
Twitter: @IndianEmbassyUS

Patricia A. Lacina
Chargé d’Affaires
United States Embassy – New Delhi
Panchsheel Marg,
Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, 110021
Phone: 011-91-11-2419-8000
Fax: 011-91-11-2419-0017

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Search Site

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Additional Information
Angola
Annual Reports
Australia
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
CCS Board
CCS Cases
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Good News
Greece
Highlights
History
Human Rights Resources
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Malaysia
Morocco
North America Issues
Pakistan
Pakistan
Palestinian Territories
Peru
Petitions
Poland
Press
Previous Highlights
Prominent Cases
Related Articles
Reports
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

View Results in New Window...

Browse by Country

Archives

Join Us

Become a member of our humanitarian enterprise.

Sign up

Support CCS

Remember to register with AmazonSmiles as a donor to the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Then anytime you shop there CCS will receive a donation from Amazon. Since people spend a lot during this time of year it can benefit CCS greatly if you remember to do this. There is no additional cost to you.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Translate This Page

Click on the flags or use the menu below for a translation of this page.

[google-translator]

Press Enter to Search

Like us on Facebook

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 4525
Easton, PA 18043
Phone: (570) 994-2093
abender@concernedscientists.org

Copyright © 2023 • Concerned Sci Child Theme on Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in