India’s persistent detention of human rights defender and former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba is an inhumane and senseless act, a United Nations expert said on Monday.
“GN Saibaba is a long-standing defender of the rights of minorities in India, including the Dalit and Adivasi people,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
“His continued detention is shameful. It bears all the hallmarks of a State seeking to silence a critical voice,” she said.
Saibaba, a former English professor at Delhi University, has suffered from a spinal disorder and polio since the age of five and uses a wheelchair.
He was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for multiple offences under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
UN human rights experts have repeatedly raised grave concerns about his prosecution, and his detention was declared arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2021.
Apart from two short periods of bail, Saibaba has been held in Nagpur Central Jail since his initial arrest and detention. His condition in prison is a matter of serious concern, Lawlor said.
“Saibaba has been detained in a high security ‘anda barracks’ in conditions incompatible with his status as a wheelchair user. His 8×10 feet cell has no window and one wall made of iron bars, exposing him to extreme weather, especially in the scorching summer heat,” Lawlor said.
The Special Rapporteur also stressed her concern for Saibaba’s health.
“States have an obligation to uphold the right to health of prisoners and detainees and ensure their dignity as human beings. Prison authorities must ensure that prisoners with disabilities are not discriminated against, including by ensuring accessibility and providing reasonable accommodation,” Lawlor said.
“As Saibaba’s health has severely deteriorated in detention, he should be released,” she demanded.
The expert said she is in contact with the Indian Government regarding the case. Mary Lawlor is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Her statement is also endorsed by Gerard Quinn, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
