Home / News / Urgent Appeals / UPDATE (INDIA): The latest updates - AHRC visited the Jesuit house in HK and more
 

UPDATE (INDIA): The latest updates - AHRC visited the Jesuit house in HK and more

June 6, 2002

UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL <br>
<br>
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM <br>
<br>
Update on Urgent Appeal 7 June 2002 <br>
---------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>
UP-36-2002 (RE: UA/16/2002 - Support Fr. Pallath's hunger strike for justice - 06 May 2002) <br>
<br>
UPDATE (INDIA): The latest updates - AHRC visited the Jesuit house in HK and more <br>
---------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>
<br>
28TH DAY OF THE HUNGER STRIKE <br>
<br>
PLEASE VISIT JESUIT HOUSES THROUGHT THE W0RLD AND TELL THEM ABOUT FR. PALLATH¡¯S CASE. <br>
<br>
Today, AHRC representatives visited, Rev. Fr. A. Deignan, SJ the local Jesuit superior Ricci Hall, University of Hong Kong to request his intervention on the case of Fr. Pallath, at this crucial stage of the hunger strike. <br>
<br>
AHRC made following requests from him. <br>
<br>
- For him to express concern to the Jesuit superior general in Rome on the basis of the information made available to you; <br>
<br>
- To draw attention to the call by a senior priest in Kerala, Fr. Kottukapilly, who has recently said: ¡°I have been unsuccessfully searching for the last two years for a modicum of justification in the manner in which my superiors have been treating Fr. Pallath. Theologically, canonically, as per Jesuit constitution and as per principles of natural justice, there is absolutely no justification for what we are doing to him. Silence at this juncture, when every effort to make the Jesuit authorities see reason seems to be failing, will be a crime against my Christian faith and against my Jesuit calling. \&quot;My struggle\&quot; he continued, \&quot;is not so much for Fr. Pallath as for the Jesuit order itself, to redeem it from the deep abyss of inhumanness and injustice it has fallen into.\&quot; <br>
<br>
- To draw attention to the request by Fr. Pallath for a review of the decision against him; <br>
<br>
- To draw attention to the agreement made on Oct. 28, 2000, by the local Jesuit superiors with Fr. Pallath that has been disregarded by them; <br>
<br>
- To draw attention to complaints of physical abuse against Fr. Pallath and the arrest of his two sisters; <br>
<br>
- To draw attention to the need to provide for a person's livelihood when that person has been dismissed after being in the order for 35 years. <br>
<br>
AHRC letter states that \&quot;we believe that all of these requests can be acceded to without being compromised in any way. We also draw your attention to the fact that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has written 20 letters to the superior general of the Jesuits in Rome and has sent several other communications to him. Presently, there has not being any reply to any of these letters. We believe that the matters in Fr. Pallath's case are so basic that there is not only a right but also a duty to help to resolve these matters when they are brought to the notice of any person. These are not just local matters but are basic human issues. <br>
<br>
YOU MAY MAKE SIMILAR VISITS TO JESUIT HOUSES IN YOUR COUNTRY AND MAKE SIMILAR REQUESTS. WHERE THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE, YOU MAY MAKE THESE REQUESTS IN WRITING. AT THIS CRITICAL STAGE, SUCH INTERVENTIONS CAN BE VERY HELPFUL. <br>
<br>
We also reproduce latest update on Fr. Pallath's hunger strike. For earlier updates kindly see the web-site - http:/jjpallath.ahrchk.net/ <br>
<br>
<br>
YOU CAN ALSO WRITE LETTER TO THE JESUIT SUPERIOR IN KERALA. The suggested letter and address of the Jesuits in Kerala is below. <br>
<br>
SUGGESTED LETTER <br>
<br>
I am so shocked and sadden by your treatment of Fr. Pallath. I urge you to honor the agreements you have made with him and to communicate your wish to do so, so that the hunger strike can be brought to end. This way can save yourself from the difficult situation you have placed, the Jesuit order. <br>
<br>
AND PLEASE SEND LETTER BY E-MAIL OR FAX TO: <br>
<br>
Fr. Provincial John Manipadam <br>
Christ Hall <br>
Malaparamba P.O. <br>
Kozhikode <br>
Kerala, INDIA <br>
Tel: 91-495-370-574 <br>
Fax: 91-471-551-760 <br>
E-mail: les@md2.vsnl.net.in <br>
<br>
<br>
UPDATE FROM EE SERVICES <br>
<br>
1. Fr. pallath's sisters arrested <br>
<br>
Two sisters of Father Pallath, Mrs. Chinnamma and Mrs. Mary were today arrested amidst high drama, from the visitors' room at Christ Hall, the Jesuit headquarters of Kerala. <br>
<br>
Mrs. Chinnammma and Mrs. Mary went today morning to Christ Hall demanding that they be told what the cause of their brother's expulsion from the Jesuit order was. \&quot;We entrusted him to Jesuit care 35 years ago. To date, no one from the Jesuit society has bothered to tell us why he is being expelled, what his crime was. In any case they did not pick him up from the street, so they have no right to throw him out on to the street.\&quot; said Mrs. Chinnamma to the group assembled at the venue of Fr. Pallath's hunger strike, before proceeding to Christ hall with a social worker Ms. Jameela, who spoke over the phone to this reporter. They were made to sit in the parlor of Christ hall and when they demanded to know why after 33 years of Jesuit life he was manhandled and thrown to the streets, the Jesuits did not offer any explanation. All of a sudden, the police were brought to the scene and they were told that they were being arrested. <br>
<br>
Ms. Jameela reminded the police that arrest could not be made without women police personnel. A lone woman police was soon brought in and the three were whisked away to the police station. At the time of reporting, they continue to be in police custody, incommunicado. <br>
<br>
(AHRC COMMENT) <br>
Has not the family members of a Jesuit right to ask an explanation as why he is expelled? Is this not a right regarding any human being of any family? Does not the fact, that he was a Jesuit for 35 years add to the right of the family to know what has happened? <br>
<br>
If the Jesuits felt they were right in the decisions taken against Fr. Pallath, why could they not explain the reasons, when asked for? <br>
<br>
Why arrest the family members? As their brother was almost dying due to hunger strike, they had a good reason to visit the premise to ask for explanation and even to make protest. They owed it to themselves, for otherwise they might feel that at the moment of their brother¡¯s death they did not carry out their family obligations. Was it not the duty of the Jesuits to treat them with respect, respond to them kindly and express their understanding of the emotional situation of the family? Was not that what was required to keep to a minimum level of HUMANITY. <br>
<br>
Why was the police called for? And why were they arrested? Is this not a repetition of same situation when the Jesuits physically assaulted Fr. Pallath, physically threw him over wall of their house, to be carried to hospital by a passer by (a good Samaritan), use police to prevent his re-entrance? ARE WE WITNESSING HERE A NEW TYPE OF CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOUR OR THE TOTAL BETRAYAL OF IT. <br>
<br>
Question to the superior general of the Jesuits - Do you find all this acceptable? <br>
<br>
<br>
2. Fr. Pallath continues fast in the hospital and his sisters released on bail - Joins solidarity hunger strike / Cultural leaders appeal - yet again <br>
<br>
Fr. Pallath continued his fast for the 28th day today as anxiety mounts about his life. Admitted to the hospital by the Police yesterday, Fr. Pallath has declined to take any medicines too. Mean while the two sisters of Pallath arrested yesterday from the parlor of the Jesuit house have been released on bail. They have since joined the solidarity hunger strike along with Fr. Mani Parambet. <br>
<br>
Against the backdrop of Fr. Pallath's arrest and hospitalization and his alarming health condition, several cultural figures of Calicut yesterday made yet another fervent appeal to the Jesuit authorities to respect principles of natural justice and tenets of basic human rights in responsing to Fr. Pallath's struggle for Justice. 'It is not Fr.Pallath that you are trying to defeat, but your own avowed principles of commitment to Justice' - the statement reminded the Jesuit auhorities of Kerala. Among the signatories to the statement were noted hisotrian Dr. M Gangadharan, literateur Dr. M.N. Karasserry, Poet Mr. Civic Chandran, Vice president of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and noted short stoy writer Mr. U.K Kumaran, Mr. P.K Parakkadvau, Mr. A.P. Kunajmu and Prof.P.Koya. <br>
<br>
For detailed information, see the web site - http://jjpallath.ahrchk.net/ <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Update
Document ID :
UP-36-2002
Countries :
Document Actions
Share |
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Follow AHRC
Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.