Swiss Trade Union Women’s Congress passes resolution calling for the release of Sudha Bharadwaj
On 12th November 2021, members of the Swiss Trade Union Federation’s Women’s Congress passed a resolution in solidarity with and demanding the release of the imprisoned Indian trade unionist and scholar Sudha Bharadwaj.
Here is the text of the resolution in English translation.
Sudha Bharadwaj has been in prison for over three years, without evidence and without trial.
• Sudha Bharadwaj has been fighting for the rights of Indian contract workers for many years, especially at the Swiss cement company Holcim. In particular, she has fought for the permanent employment of contract workers, as they are entitled to by law and by the Cement Wage Board Agreement, and for decent wages and safe working conditions.
• Sudha Bharadwaj has also worked for women's empowerment and for the rights of Adivasi communities facing displacement due to the extraction of natural resources.
• Sudha Bharadwaj and 15 other human rights defenders, intellectuals, lawyers and artists were accused of instigating incidents of violence in Bhima Koregaon in January 2018 and planning a conspiracy against the government.
• All the accused had been engaged for Dalits, Adivasis and women's rights and had criticised the policies of the Hindu nationalist government. It is obvious that they were criminalised for this.
• This is also evident from the fact that the phones of at least eight of the accused were monitored with the Pegasus spy programme, as were the phones of relatives, lawyers and fellow activists.
• What is used as “evidence” are falsified documents, which digital forensic analyses have shown were smuggled into the computers of some of the accused by hackers. A trial has not yet taken place.
• Since the detainees are charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act (UAPA), release on bail is practically impossible. This is despite the fact that some of the accused are of advanced age, suffer from pre-existing illnesses or have contracted Covid-19 or other infections in prison. The 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy, who suffered from Parkinson's disease and whose health steadily deteriorated in prison, died in custody on 5th July. His release had previously been refused.
• Sudha Bharadwaj's health has also reportedly deteriorated over the months. The Swiss Trade Union Federation’s Women's Congress strongly protests against the imprisonment of trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj and calls on the Indian government to immediately release Sudha Bharadwaj and her co-accused and drop the untenable charges against them.
It also calls on the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to work towards the release of Sudha Bharadwaj as soon as possible.