From: Kirity Roy <kirityroy@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 7:24 PM
Subject: 50 years of Amnesty International- HRDs
To: MASUM <masumindia@gmail.com>
For your information,sharing the news
just click the link below
http://amnesty.org/en/50/inspirational-stories/kirity-roy
--
Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place
Shibtala
Srirampur
Hooghly
PIN- 712203
Fax - +91-33-26220843
Phone- +91-33-26220844 / 0845
e. mail : kirityroy@gmail.com
Web: www.masum.org.in
--
Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place
Shibtala
Srirampur
Hooghly
PIN- 712203
Fax - +91-33-26220843
Phone- +91-33-26220844 / 0845
e. mail : kirityroy@gmail.com
Web: www.masum.org.in
Amnesty International at 50
Celebrating 50 years of uniting against injustice
Stories to inspire
The people, the faces, the stories – 50 years of defending rights
Victims speaking out can force society to change
Kirity Roy, 57, campaigns to stop the powerful trampling on ordinary people’s rights.
© © Private
“Victims of police abuse are swallowed up by a culture of silence. If the victims speak out then society will be forced to change the system.”
Kirity Roy, 57, India
Kirity Roy has dedicated his life to defending human rights. His activism came full circle when Amnesty International recently spoke out against his arrest.
- One man in India has defied threats, arrests, raids and a bombing to carry on fighting against brutality and injustice.
Kirity Roy started out as a young political activist in West Bengal, India. He has since spent decades exposing human rights abuses and fighting injustice. His work has sometimes come at a great personal cost. But he has also won many battles.
The start of a colourful career
“Human rights are universal, indivisible and applicable to all shades of people around the world. That’s why I moved from parochial political activism to human rights activism. I tried my best to fight against police torture, police firing on innocent masses, and violence and deaths in custody. I led several fact-finding teams and we uncovered barbaric acts by the police and state administration.”
Fighting the conspiracy of silence
“Torture is a slow process, designed to render its victim helpless, dependent and devoid of all human qualities. Victims of police abuse are swallowed up by a culture of silence. They fear repercussions if they speak out, and these fears are often well-founded. We have to break that silence to obtain justice. If the victims speak out, society will be forced to change the system.”
Taking the powerful to task
Kirity has taken legal action against the authorities several times. “In 1997, the police − backed by an influential building developer − ransacked a hospital established by workers who were locked out of their factory. I took legal action against the police, the matter was referred to the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, and the police officers were found guilty.”
Another case involved a casual worker at a jute mill who was abducted by the police, tortured and disappeared. “There was an outcry and, as a result of my enquiries, criminal proceedings were started against the police.” In 2008, he defended the rights of more than 6,000 scavengers living in extreme poverty on a municipal dump, who faced forced eviction without any compensation.
Personal cost
But his activism has come at a cost. “In 1994, my house was bombed by the police, and my wife and son were threatened.” Kirity has been arrested twice for observing Human Rights Day, and in 2008 the police raided the offices of the human rights organization of which he is now Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM).
When the anti-terrorist police arrested him for campaigning against torture in 2010, the time had come for someone to speak out on Kirity’s behalf. “Amnesty International issued a public statement in support of me, and I am really grateful for that,” he says.
Defending women's and girls' rights in Nicaragua
In Nicaragua, all abortion, even for survivors of rape, is banned. On 28 September 2011, women and girls in Nicaragua will take to the streets to demand an end to the total abortion ban and to violence against women.
Act now »
Follow #amnesty50 @amnestyonline on twitter
- @amnestyonline website reportedly blocked in Saudi Arabia after #Sauditerrorlaw leaked. More later on www.amnesty.org http://ow.ly/5MsPr
about 2 hours ago via HootSuite
- @funnyraiser Thank you for sharing these stories.
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- RT @demanddignity Nearly 30,000 people have sent butterflies to #NIcaragua as part of our#mariposa campaign - have you? http://t.co/Ljb5IlB#demanddignity
about 5 hours ago via web
Retweeted by AmnestyOnline - RT @demanddignity Huge thanks to everyone who has taken action so far to defend the rights of women and girls in #Nicaragua. Your support means so much.
about 5 hours ago via web
Retweeted by AmnestyOnline
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