Nearly two years after renowned paediatrician and human rights activist Binayak Sens arrest for his alleged association with the Naxalites,one of the worlds leading medical journals,Lancet,joined the chorus of voices pressing for his release. In an Editorial titled A right to fair trial,a right to life in the current issue,the journal calls Sens detention outrageous and politically motivated. Referring to him as a distinguished Indian paediatrician and a tireless human rights activist,it says that he remains in custody even though there is no proof of his extremist activities. In a scathing indictment of the Indian judicial system,it questions the shifting of charges against Sen and calls for government intervention in the matter. Faith in the Indian justice system needs to be restored. The Indian Government must intervene and make sure justice is done so that Sen and his family can return to a normal life and resume serving the poorest communities in the state, it says. Since May 15,2007,Binayak Sen,a distinguished Indian paediatrician and a tireless human rights activist has been imprisoned in a Raipur jail in the state of Chhattisgarh,India. He has been convicted of no crime but is being held under draconian state laws for his alleged association with the Naxalitesan outlawed Indian communist movement,deemed to be a threat to national security. To date,there is no proof of his involvement in extremist activities but he remains incarcerated for supplementary charges indefinitely, the Editorial says. The editorial also highlights Sens deteriorating health and the reported delay in the access to necessary medical care. The journal lauds Sen and his wife,Ilina,for devoting their entire working lives to improving the health and welfare of the Adivasis,a marginalised and poverty-stricken community. Violent conflict has prevailed in the region and Sens relentless exposure of the states human rights violations of this community are widely believed to be the real reason for his imprisonment: to set an example to others who would dare to expose state brutality and defend civil liberties. The troubling fallout of his incarceration is that much of his good work is slowly being eroded. His clinic,which provided essential health services,is on the verge of collapse,and many patients with both acute and chronic illnesses have gone untreated. The worldwide condemnation of his arrest and calls for his release continue to fall on deaf ears, the Editorial says. Binayak Sen,a public health specialist and national Vice-President of the the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) was detained in May 2007 for allegedly violating the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005 (CSPSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. His bail petition was rejected by the Supreme Court in December that year.
