Saturday, January 31, 2015

INDIA : COMMITTEE FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS (CRPP) STATEMENT ON ARREST OF THUSHAR NIRMAL SARATHY AND JAISON COOPER



Statement by the COMMITTEE FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS (CRPP)
185/3, FOURTH FLOOR ZAKIR NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110025
31 January 2015

CONDEMN THE ARREST OF THUSHAR NIRMAL SARATHY, SECRETARY, KERALA CHAPTER, CRPP AND JAISON COOPER PEOPLE’S ACTIVIST BY THE KERALA POLICE!
RELEASE THUSHAR SARATHY AND JAISON COOPER IMMEDIATELY, UNCONDITIONALLY!

Friday, the 30th January turned out to be a day when the Kerala state machinery and its lawless police brazenly demonstrated yet again that they can’t for once uphold the law of the land while dealing with political dissent of any nature. If post-1947 India have demonstrated that successive governments at the centre or the states used its police and the state machinery for targeting political rivals from different political combinations of the day, it is incriminating to note that all the governments that occupied power throughout the last 68 years have been unequivocal in maintaining the state of permanent emergency for tackling political dissent of the people!

On the 30 January 2015, the Kerala police and the special branch arrested Jaison Cooper in Ernakulam from his work place and Adv. Thushar Nirmal Sarathy from Calicut while he was addressing the press about a protest programme to be held there the following day against the increasing violations of the fundamental rights of the people in the state. At the same time, the police raided the residences of Thushar Sarathy, Advocate Manuel Joseph who is a people’s activist, Ms. Jolly Chirayath, convener of the Women’s Collective, and a artist activist. From the residence of Thushar Sarathy the police took away several case files without even bothering to record the list of the ‘seizures’ that they have done. Even the search was conducted without any warrant being shown to the custodians of the residences.

As increasing instances of impunity have become the hallmark of the police and investigating agencies in the Indian subcontinent with the Kerala police refusing to be different, one can only foresee a motivated police out to incriminate, frame those who are critically looking at the policies of the government. For the police, the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the constitution of the largest democracy seemed to, for every practical purpose, remain in permanent suspension, all in the name of ‘national interest’, ‘national security’ and last but not the least that weapon of mass destruction—‘development’.

The preparations for the vilification and then framing of civil rights activists, public intellectuals and people’s activists had been laid well in advance in Kerala with a so-called ‘look out’ notice issued purportedly by the police with photographs of most of the prominent civil rights activists and people’s activists published in it. Adv. Thushar Sarathy’s name was also there along with other prominent civil libertarians from the state who were alleged to be working for or in the interest of a proscribed organization the CPI (Maoist). When there was a public outcry against this as a deliberate attempt on the side of the state to clamp down on people’s movements, the police and the administration including the home ministry went on a defensive mode neither denying nor accepting the veracity of such a notice. But by then the media vilification of such activists had already begun making the grounds ready for the witch hunt.

That this is nothing less than a witch hunt of those standing in favour of the poorest, deprived and discriminated majority is evident from the statements of the police officials as they make heavy weather of the literature ‘seized’ from the residence of Thushar. The most fascist way of incriminating someone is for his/her thoughts and the Kerala police makes no bones about the fact that Thushar uses the literature to spread the ideas of the CPI (Maoist) which is a proscribed organization. Needless to say that Adv. Thushar Sarathy has been charged under Sections 10 and 13 of the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act while Jaison Cooper has been put under Section 13b of the same. It is being reported that Jaison Cooper has been put in police custody for the next 6 days.

That Thushar has been quite vocal about the rights of the labourers, adivasis, Muslims and other deprived and discriminated sections makes him the most sought after target as this government in Kerala or for that matter the Narendra Modi led government in Delhi are one when it comes to turning their back against the interests of the people. Apart from being the secretary of the Kerala chapter of CRPP he is also the secretary of the Janakiya Manushyavakasha Prasthanam (People’s Human Rights Forum). Jaison Cooper is a prominent blogger and also a peoples activist who has vocal about the rights of the peopke. Civil rights activists being the conscience of the society as the mirror in the solidarities the anguish and concerns of the vast sections of the masses has to be silenced in the forward march to open up the resources and wealth of the people in the interests of private capital.

Development in the age of globalization, liberalization and privatization has become a question of ‘national interest’ though it is increasingly becoming clear that this is nothing but interests of the big corporations—domestic and international. Development has become a question of law and order. Those who talk against this model of development are anti-nationals. And hence are a subject of law and order. That many of the issues raised by Adv. Thushar and Jaison are also questions to safeguard the rights guaranteed in the constitution of India doesn’t matter as long as they come against the interests of private capital—domestic and international.

It is important that all democratically inclined people of the subcontinent raise their voice against the penalization of dissent and aspirations of the people. It is important that we all join hands and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Jaison Cooper and Thushar Nirmal Sarathy here and now! We need to be in vigil to safeguard the rights of the incarcerated to be not tortured or their right to silence as the police will force confessions on them.

We need to condemn the brazen attitude of the state which brutalizes the lives of people’s activists by subjecting them to the inhuman treatment of laying siege to their places of stay under the garb of search without even a search warrant.

We should demand stringent action against such police officials who are always ready to throttle the basic rights of the people all in the name of security.

In Solidarity

SAR Geelani-- President

 Amit Bhattacharyya--Secretary General

 Sukhendu Bhattacharjee--Vice President

 Sujato Bhadra- Vice President

 MN Ravunni-- Vice President

 PA Sebastian—Vice President

 Prof. P Koya--Vice President

 Rona Wilson –Secretary, Public Relations

From Syriza to Podemos - turning the tide in Europe against Austerity



 

Victory for Syriza in Greece : reformism put to the test of power ; OCML Voie Proletarienne

 

The victory of the reformist coalition Syriza in the Greek parliamentary elections marks the beginning of a new period for the class struggle in Greece. Since 2010 the Greek people has fought against the unfair debt imposed by the imperialists, especially France and Germany, the EU and the International Monetary Fundo (IMF) in return for so-called ‘economic’ plans imposed by the imperialist in order to plunder the nation’s wealth. However, over the last two years, after the Greek government accepted the second IMF memorandum, the most combative elements of society placed their hopes in a victory for Syriza.


Many Greeks voted for the coalition in the belief that it was the only viable means of improving their living conditions. Such a vote is logical and understandable. When lacking of a revolutionary perspective, the people puts its faith in a program which promises ‘change’ even if it means coming to an arrangement with imperialism. Syriza’s victory is by no means the apotheosis of revolt by the Greek people and does not indicate that the country is on the verge of a revolution. In France, the election of Mitterrand in 1981 was a huge source of hope, but actually marked an important point in the bourgeois counter-offensive against the popular movement. It is up to the Greek revolutionary organisations and the grassroots movement to prevent the same thing happening in Greece.

Syriza intends to re-negotiate the debt by cancelling a part of it and paying back the rest in instalments, while lowering taxes and increasing the minimum wage and guaranteeing access to healthcare and electricity for the poorest members of society. Syriza wants to convince the imperialists in the IMF and the EU agree to reallocate the funds earmarked for the ‘economic’ plans, to be used to finance social measures instead. Syriza has said that it is in the interest of the imperialists to agree to the minimal demands of the Greek people in order to save the European Union and the common currency, whereby Syriza effectively commits itself to safeguard the basic interests of imperialist capital in exchange for concessions which benefit the people : reformism in a nutshell.

Furthermore, Syriza has announced that it will form a government with the reactionary, nationalistic party Independent Greeks (ANEL), involving a series of concessions on a number of democratic demands contained in its program such as migrant workers’ rights and LGBT rights. What else will Syriza be prepared to give up in the future in order to stay in power ?

The new government will most almost certainly involve a slight improvement in the living conditions of the Greek proletariat and people. However, by refusing to stand up to the two main enemies, i.e. Franco-German imperialism and the Greek bourgeoisie, and by failing to address the underlying causes of the economic and social crisis, Syriza will be unable to prevent new catastrophes from arising in the not-so-distant future.

It is not their supposed laziness or dishonesty that caused the ruin of the Greek people, but domination by foreign imperialist Capital with the backing of the local, bourgeoisie leeches.

Strengthening the revolutionary movement and the offensive of the mass movement is the only way forwards in order to earn the trust of the Greek people and proletariat, beating the forces willing to make concessions to imperialism who are only strong because the masses are weak.

Our statement in french : ICI

SOURCE: http://www.vp-partisan.org/article1403.html

LONG LIVE COMRADE MAO TSE TUNG’S WORK OF NEW DEMOCRACY (In commemoration of 75 years) AND PATH OF NEW DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION ! by HARSH THAKOR