United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor on Thursday said that journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh has been falsely charged as retaliation for his work on human rights.
She also said that scribe’s health might be at risk as he remains behind bar.
On Thursday, she made public a letter she had written to the Indian government on 26 October last year.
Sing, an independent journalist was arrested by the Jharkhand Police on the allegation that he had arranged funds for Maoists. The arrest had come after Singh posted a thread on his Twitter account on the impact of industrial and air pollution on the residents of Jharkhand villages.
“Our related concern is that Mr Singh is reportedly falsely charged, in retaliation of his legitimate human rights work,” read letter of Lawlor. “We further express concern on the health condition of Mr. Singh, that could be aggravated by sleep deprivation and its close proximity with prisoners of infectious diseases.”
Singh suffers from severe pain and strain in the veins of his legs that is exacerbated by mental stress, she alleged.
“There is a compression on his vein in his back that could be aggravated in stressful situations as the medicine that Mr. Singh is taking requires adequate sleep,” the letter read.
