Jesuit Priests and lay associates working for the Jesuits in Britain have protested outside the High Commission of India calling for the release of Fr Stan Swamy SJ.
The 83-year-old human rights activist was arrested in India earlier this month, accused of terrorist links.
Fr Swamy was arrested and detained on 8 October by the National Investigation Agency of India. They accused him of having links with terrorist organisations. He is believed to be the oldest person to be accused of terrorism in India.
Fr Damian Howard SJ, the Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain, attempted unsuccessfully to hand in a letter to the Indian High Commissioner, Ms Gaitri Issar Kumar, calling on the Indian government to guarantee Fr Swamy’s well-being and to obtain his release from prison.
Fr Howard said: “Fr Swamy is a fellow Jesuit who has given his life to solidarity with a group of marginalised people. Now he is the one who is suffering and it is our duty to stand in solidarity with him.”
The High Commission refused to meet anyone from the delegation nor to accept the letter in person. The letter was later posted to the High Commissioner after the protest took place.
Paul Chitnis, Director of Jesuit Missions, said: “Fr Stan Swamy is an 83-year-old Jesuit priest who has spent his life working for peace and justice. He is a man of prayer and principle. His imprisonment on entirely false charges runs counter to the tradition of tolerance which has characterised India’s secular democracy. It is unconscionable that he should be held in prison at this time of grave threat to elderly people from Coronavirus especially in India. We demand he is released immediately.”
The Metropolitan Police were present throughout the demonstration to ensure it was a safe and socially distanced event.
Jesuit Missions, the international mission and development office of the Jesuits in Britain, is encouraging supporters to write to their MP urging the Foreign Secretary to raise Fr Swamy’s imprisonment with the Indian government.
Worldwide, the Catholic community and social rights activists are calling for Fr Swamy’s immediate release. Many protests have already taken place in major cities across India, including Ranchi, in the state of Jharkhand where Fr Swamy has spent the last five decades fighting for the rights of Dalits and Adivasi people.
Fr Swamy is currently being held in custody in Mumbai awaiting trial.
The Jesuits said afterwards that the protest was approved by Westminster Council and all participants complied with current coronavirus regulations including wearing masks and maintaining correct social distance.
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