Amnesty demands release of Irom Sharmila
17 Dec 2014 11:32 PM GMT
Amidst a move by the central government to decriminalise attempt to suicide, international human rights body Amnesty on Tuesday appealed to the government to release Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ Irom Sharmila immediately and unconditionally.
“The Indian government’s decision to decriminalise suicide is in line with an increasing global trend. This move should lead to the immediate release of Irom Sharmila, who has been held in detention merely for exercising her freedom of expression in a peaceful manner,” said Shailesh Rai, programme director at Amnesty International India. In a statement he said Sharmila should not have been arrested in the first place. “Now that authorities have acknowledged that attempting to commit suicide should not be considered a crime, authorities in Manipur and Delhi should drop all charges against her, and start to engage with the issues this remarkable activist is raising,” he said.
“The Indian government’s decision to decriminalise suicide is in line with an increasing global trend. This move should lead to the immediate release of Irom Sharmila, who has been held in detention merely for exercising her freedom of expression in a peaceful manner,” said Shailesh Rai, programme director at Amnesty International India. In a statement he said Sharmila should not have been arrested in the first place. “Now that authorities have acknowledged that attempting to commit suicide should not be considered a crime, authorities in Manipur and Delhi should drop all charges against her, and start to engage with the issues this remarkable activist is raising,” he said.
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