Oct. 29th, 2008
1:31pm
Just released in the New York Times yesterday, reports came in from Bangalore, India urging the authorities to investigate the inhumane madd arrest and ill treatment of those captured activist. These workers for working for the betterment of trans-gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity issue in India. Researchers feel that this mass arrest has showed the true colors of the Indian government. “These arrests clearly show that it is time for India’s repressive attitudes and laws to change,” said Dipika Nath, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “Such blatant police violence points to a system where prejudice trumps justice.” In the following week before the rest, there was much uprise from the local authorities where their main target was to get rid of the eunuch menace. Eunuch is a derogatory term for the Hijras (transgender men). Some of the captured men who were release from their meritless arrest told H.R. W. Activist that they were beaten, slapped, and sexually abused by the police. With this knowledge, 31 activist camped outside the 5 Hijras jail rooms and demanded for their release. This standstill incurred for 18 hours until the men were finally released. “These arrests and assaults on human rights defenders show sheer indifference to the principles of justice as well as the letter of the law,” Nath said. ”When police can seize dozens of activists on the flimsiest of pretexts, all of civil society is in danger.”
I think that last quote said it all, there was no pretexts to their arrest. Once again, freedom of speech was in question here. These men have protrayed themselves out of normative behavior and was arrested without merit. Is it fair, No! Is it right that they were sexually harrassed just because they are transgender? No! I think the authorities felt threaten that this because a global issue, when the activist became involved it made them realized that it was a situation that they can't avoid anymore and they had to let them go. This is an important lesson, the world is watching. With the declaration of human rights, we all deserve the same treatment, and it is a sad world when several million people are treated so inhumane.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/10/28/india20085.htm
3 comments:
I completely agree with you and if feel that other countries really do not know the meaning of freedom like we do here in this country. I do think that the quote says it also because words and actions to go with it are very powerful things.
I agree with this too. I feel like we know the meaning of freedom better than others becasue we live in the US, but think that ome others still might know it more than us.
India is in the process of changing but like many other countries, it has some deep human rights issues. There is a director Deepa Mehta, who tackles some of these issues in her films. Fire is one that deals with sexuality and caused many violent protests when it came to theaters in India. This moving was released in 1996 and was the first to depict homosexual relationships. I agree that in the U.S. we have more freedom to be who we are publicly but that is something new.
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