Statement Condemning Repression Against Anti POSCO Protesters

The below statement, signed by 92 journalists, academics, judges, activists
and other concerned citizens, is being circulated on behalf of the
signatories. Apologies to those who receive it multiple times. Additional
signatures / endorsements can be sent to mamata68@gmail.com or
shankargopal@myfastmail.com

*CONDEMN THE REPRESSION ON POSCO PRATIRODH SANGRAM SAMITI AND THE LIKELY
IMMINENT ATTACK ON THE PEACEFUL PROTESTERS OF THE AREA
*
The undersigned condemn the growing brutality of the state repression being
unleashed against the peaceful, democratic protesters of the POSCO project
area, who are only fighting for their legal and fundamental rights. This
repression has reached a peak with the arrest yesterday (Friday) of POSCO
Pratirodh Sangram Samiti leader Abhay Sahoo. The government's constant
announcements of its intention to start construction in the area lead us to
apprehend that there will be more violence and brutality against the
movement.

This comes after the people of Dhinkia and Gobindpur heroically resisted
police attacks for more than two months in the heat of summer, drawing the
attention of the entire country to the threat to their thriving economy and
fragile ecosystem. It also comes in the wake of a grossly illegal
clearance to the project from the Environment Ministry, in direct
violation of the Forest Rights Act and the EIA notification, despite two of
the Ministry's own enquiry committees finding that grant of clearance would
be a crime. Moreover, the Centre itself now claims that projects of this
kind will be subject, under its proposed new law, to the consent of 80% of
the local community - which has been ignored in this case. Meanwhile,
dozens of false cases have been filed against the protesters, and it is
worth noting that Abhay Sahoo has received bail from the courts in more
than 40 cases so far; but every time he is released, new cases are foisted
on him. Finally, court cases are pending against the illegal clearance to
the project in the High Court and in the National Green Tribunal. Despite
all this, the Orissa government is continuing its criminal offensive, and
the Centre as usual is doing nothing to stop it or to uphold the law.

We condemn this repression, and call for the immediate release of Abhay
Sahoo, the dropping of the false cases registered against him and other
members of the movement, and the immediate withdrawal of this illegal,
unjust and economically destructive project.

Sincerely,

1. Adivasi Aikya Vedika, Andhra Pradesh

2. Alistar Bodra, JJBA & NFFPFW, Jharkhand

3. Amit Bhaduri, Academic, Delhi

4. Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center

5. Anirban Kar, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University

6. Anu Mandavilli, Mining Zone Peoples' Solidarity Group.

7. Anurag Modi, Shramik Adivasi Sangathan, Madhya Pradesh

8. Arun Kumar, JNU, Delhi

9. Ashok Agarwal, Advocate, Delhi

10. Asit Das, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity, Delhi

11. Balaji Narasimhan

11. Justice (Retd) B.G. Kolse Patil

12. Biswajit Mohanty, Academic, Delhi

13. Dipak Roy Choudhury, Kolkata

14. Dr. B D Sharma, Bharat Jan Andolan, Delhi

15. Dunu Roy, Hazards Centre, Delhi

16. Elavarthi Manohar, Praja Rajakiya Vedike, Bangalore

17. Faisal Khan, NAPM

18. Felix Padel, Anthropologist, Gujarat

19. Humane, Koraput, Odisha

20. Ish Mishra, Delhi University, Delhi

21. Jagadish Chandra, Bangalore

22. Jutta Kill, FERN, UK

23. K P Sasi, Visual Search, Bangalore

24. Kamal Kabra

25. Kamayani Mahabal, Mumbai

26. Kanchi Kohli, Kalpavriksh, Delhi

27. Kaveri Rajaram, Bangalore

28. Kavita Krishnan, CPI (ML) Liberation, Delhi

29. Kiran Shaheen, Delhi

30. Lalit Batra, University of Minnesota, USA

31. Lalsingh Bhujel, Uttar Banga Forum of Forest People and Forest
Workers, West Bengal

32. Madhumita Dutta, Campaign for Justice and Peace, Tamil Nadu

33. Madhuresh Kumar, National Alliance of People's Movements

34. Malarmannan, English-Tamil Bilingual Columnist and Author

35. Madhusudhan, Andhra Pradesh

36. Mamata Dash, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity & NFFPFW, Delhi

37. Manohar Kothekar, NFFPFW, Maharashtra

38. Manshi Asher, Him Dhara, Environment Reserch & Action Collective,
Himachal Pradesh

39. Maya Valecha, Gujarat

40. Meher Engineer

41. Mohan Bhagat, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

42. Nandita Narain, St.Stephen's College, Delhi

43. National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW)

44. Partho Sarothi Ray, Sanhati, West Bengal

45. Parvathy Prem, Association for India's Development (AID), USA

46. Praful Bidwai, Columnist, Delhi

47. Prafulla Samantara, Convenor, NAPM

48. Prasad Chacko, Gujarat

49. Preeti Sampat

50. Pushkar Raj, PUCL, Delhi

51. Pushpa Toppo, Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan, Jharkhand

52. Ra Ravishankar, Mining Zone Peoples' Solidarity Group

53. Rahul Saxena, Himachal Pradesh

54. Rakesh Agarwal, Dehradun

55. Rakesh Ranjan, Delhi University

56. Ramakant Banjare, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta
Committee)

57. Ranjana Padhi, Delhi

58. Ravi Chellam, Bangalore

59. Richard Mahapatra, Down to Earth, Delhi

60. Rinchin, WSS, Madhya Pradesh

61. Rishu Garg

62. Rukmini Rao, Andhra Pradesh

63. Sagari Ramdas, Andhra Pradesh

64. Sanjay Basu Mullick, Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan, Jharkhand

65. Sayantoni Datta, Independent Researcher, West Bengal

66. Shalini Gera, CMM - Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti, Chattisgarh

67. Shamim, Academic, Mumbai

68. Shankar Gopalkrishnan, Campaign for Survival and Dignity, Delhi

69. Sharanya Nayak, Orissa

70. Shiba Desor, Kalpavriksh, Delhi

71. Shivani Chaudhry, Housing and Land Rights Network, Delhi

72. Soma K P, Delhi

73. Soumitra Ghosh, NESPON, West Bengal

74. Souparna Lahiri, NFFPFW, Delhi

75. Subhashini. Krantikari Naujawan Sabha

76. Subrat Kumat Sahu, Independent Journalist and Film Maker, Delhi

77. Sudha Bharadwaj, Chhattisgarh PUCL, Chattisgarh

78. Sukla Sen. EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai

79. Suman S

80. Uma V Chandru, WSS & PUCL, Bangalore

81. Tapas Saha, CPI(ML) LIberation

82. Vijay Singh, Delhi

83. Vijayendra, Hyderabad

84. Vinay Bhat

85. Viren Lobo, Delhi

86. Vivek Sundara, HRA, Mumbai

87. VS Roy David, Convenor, National Adivasi Alliance

88. Walter Fernandes, Assam

89. William Nicholas Gomes, Journalist & Human Rights Activist, Dhaka

90. Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression

91. Xavier Dias, Editor. Khan Kaneej Aur ADHIKAR (Mines minerals & RIGHTS)