Resolution passed jointly by Kashmiri Leaders - Syed Ali Geelani, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Mian Abdul Qayyoom, Nisar Ali
CAMPAIGN
'The fight for Mohammad Afzal's life is a fight for all that is good and meaningful in Indian democracy; the cry for revenge and his death represents the dehumanized and authoritarian aspects of the Indian State and civil society.'
Nandita Haksar
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FOR THE RECORD
Mohammad Afzal's Letter to All India Defence Committee for SAR Geelani --
Mohammad Afzal
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For The Record
'I was shocked when I came to know that from newspaper Indian Express that my advocate has requested the court that Afzal wants that he should be killed by lethal injection rather by hanging.'
Mohammad Afzal
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Campaign
The Society for the Protection of Detainees' And Prisoners' Rights - Mission Statement
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At a meeting of the Society for the Protection of Detainees' and
Prisoners' Rights on Saturday, September 24, 2005 at Taj Hotel
Budshah Chok Srinagar, we were deeply shocked to learn that
Mohammad Afzal has been sentenced to death by the Supreme
Court of India without having an opportunity to defend himself. This
is one more example of how the Indian courts are used for making
political statements at the cost of lives of Kashmiri people. On the
one hand the Indian political leaders talk about peace process in
Kashmir and taking confidence building measures on the other
hand Kashmiris like Afzal are sentenced to death without even a
fair trial?
The judgement of the Supreme Court states that the attck on the
Indian Parliament resulted in heavy casualties and has "shaken
the entire nation and the coolective conscience of the socity will
only e satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender."
We the people of Kashmir ask why the collective conscience of
Indians is not shaken by the fact that a Kashmiri has been
sentenced to death without a fair trial, without a chance to represent
himself? Throughout the trial at the sessions court Mohammad
Afzal asked the judge to appoint a lawyer. He even named various
lawyers but they all refused to represent him. Is it his fault that the
Indian lawyers think that it is more patriotic to allow a Kashmiri to
die rather than ensure he gets a fair trial?
At the High Court an Indian human rights lawyer who volunteered
to represent Afzal actually asked the court that Afzal wanted to be
killed by a lethal injection instead of by hanging. Afzal did not know
that his lawyer had filed such a petition on his behalf till after the
case was over and he had been given three death sentences.
At the Supreme Court the senior lawyer and former Law Minister,
Shantibhushanji [Shanti Bhushan] , who was representing another co-accused told
the court that Afzal was guilty and deserved to die. He made such
statements throughout, both inside the court and in the print media.
In Sarabjeet Sigh's case the Indian Prime Minister and Indian media
has been campaigning with the Pakistan authorities to spare his
life. And for the sake of the Indo-Pak friendship process Sarabjeet
Singh's life will be spared but is it not a contradiction that the same
leaders think that Azal's life needs to be sacrificed at the altar of false notion of national security.
We resolve to launch a Kashmir-wide signature campaign in
support of our demand that the death sentence on Afzal be
commuted.
Syed Ali Geelani
Shabir Ahmad Shah
Mohammad Yaseen Malik
Mian Abdul Qayyoom
Nisar Ali