India: Raise your voice to save the life of Maoist political prisoner Comrade Soman

We hereby publish an unofficial translation of a statement published by Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam on their Facebook account.

Maoist political prisoner Soman’s hunger strike has passed eight days. Prisoners are forced to undertake such protests in the context of constant repetition of custodial beatings by the police and the interference of the prison officials who harm the dignity of the prisoners. Soman’s health is in critical condition. Soman started his hunger strike to protest against the beating during his arrest and custody by the Kerala police department. Soman has filed a complaint in the Palakkad court against the beating. He has sent that complaint from jail. Jail officials say it was emailed, but it has not reached the court.

Soman, who started his hunger strike while in custody, was transferred to a maximum security prison. When Soman’s health deteriorated, he was shifted from jail to Thrissur Medical College, but the medical college authorities did not wanted to give him proper treatment. Jail authorities send Soman on to a medical college and the officials from there did not admit Soman but gave him serum and sent him back to jail. This has been repeating for several days. The government should urgently put an end to these acts which are being carried out with such brutality and with extreme vengeance, without any concern for human life.

When lawyer Shaina went to the maximum security prison to visit Soman, she was informed that Soman was in Thrissur Medical College. Later, Shaina reached the Thrissur Medical College after obtaining written permission from the superintendent of the maximum security prison to see Soman, who was under treatment at the medical college, but the police guard did not allow her to see Soman. When the custodian of the prisoners is the jail superintendent, the behavior of this kind of police is highly anti-democratic.

Jail authorities, police and medical college authorities are trying to create another Stan Swamy case in Kerala. That is why the human rights movement requests the cultural/political activists of Kerala to raise protests for the legitimate demands of Soman’s hunger strike and against the discrimination shown by the authorities and policemen in the maximum security prison and Thrissur Medical College.

People’s Human Rights Movement

Hari, Convener

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