Indian priest held under anti-terror law dies July 05 2021 11:52 PM AFP/New Delhi An 84-year-old rights activist and Jesuit priest detained for nine months without trial under Indian anti-terrorism laws died yesterday ahead of a bail hearing, officials said.
Father Stan Swamy, who campaigned for marginalised tribal communities, was arrested last year for allegedly inciting violence between different Indian castes in 2018. He was denied bail despite suffering from Parkinson’s and other ailments.
He was admitted to hospital in May with coronavirus and suffered a cardiac arrest over the weekend.
Swami had been detained under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which effectively allows people to be held without trial indefinitely.
MUMBAI: The death of Fr Stan Swamy evoked sorrow and anger in India and abroad. The 84-year-old ailing activist’s arrest by the NIA, his nine-month incarceration in Taloja Jail where he contracted Covid-19, alleged lack of timely medical attention and repeated denial of bail all came in for criticism.
The EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore tweeted: “India: I am very saddened to hear that Fr #StanSwamy has passed away. A defender of indigenous peoples’ rights. He was held in detention for the past 9 months. The EU had been raising his case repeatedly with authorities.”
India: I am very saddened to hear that Fr #StanSwamy has passed away. A defender of indigenous peoples’ rights. He… https://t.co/piLAijW1L2 Eamon Gilmore (@EamonGilmore) 1625483762000
The custody death of Father Stan Swamy on Monday is likely to bring India’s rights record into focus again in western capitals where there is considerable alarm at New Delhi’s slide on human rights as well as democracy.
As the western world woke up to the news, offices and individuals tasked with monitoring human rights across the world were quick to respond.
Advertisement
“India: I am very saddened to hear that Fr #StanSwamy has passed away. A defender of indigenous peoples’ rights. He was held in detention for the past 9 months. The EU had been raising his case repeatedly with authorities,” tweeted Eamon Gilmore, the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights.
Death of a 84-year-old Indian priest in custody stirs outcry swissinfo.ch - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from swissinfo.ch Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
EU, UN officials join civil society in mourning death
SECTIONS
Share
Synopsis
The death of Fr Stan Swamy evoked sorrow and anger in India and abroad. The 84-year-old ailing activist’s arrest by the NIA, his nine-month incarceration in Taloja Jail where he contracted Covid-19, alleged lack of timely medical attention and repeated denial of bail all came in for criticism.
TNN
(This story originally appeared in on Jul 06, 2021)The death of Fr Stan Swamy evoked sorrow and anger in India and abroad. The 84-year-old ailing activist’s arrest by the NIA, his nine-month incarceration in Taloja Jail where he contracted Covid-19, alleged lack of timely medical attention and repeated denial of bail all came in for criticism.