Partisan Defense Committee Letter

27 June 2024

Partisan Defense Committee P.O. Box 99, Canal Street Station, New York, NY 10013

email: partisandefense@earthlink.net   www.partisandefense.org

Contact: Kevin Gilroy (212) 406-4252

The following letter was written by the Partisan Defense Committee.

27 June 2024

Mr. Abhimanyu Gahlaut
First Secretary and SA to Ambassador
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008

Sirs, Madams:

On June14, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor greenlighted the prosecutions of renowned author Arundhati Roy and Kashmiri human rights scholar Sheikh Showkat Hussain for speaking out in defense of Kashmir. We protest this prosecution in the strongest terms.

The charges arise from their speaking nearly 14 years ago at a 2010 conference on Kashmir titled "Freedom—the Only Way." At the time Indian troops were brutally repressing Kashmiri protesters. Over 100 were killed, many were teenagers. Roy drew the ire of Hindu chauvinists simply for declaring that Kashmir "has never been an integral part of India."

For their simple acts of free expression and protest in defense of national and democratic rights, Roy and Hussain are now facing charges under the "anti-terror" Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and a possible seven-year sentence. This is an outrage!

We demand: Drop all charges! Hands off!

Sincerely,
Kevin Gilroy
For the Partisan Defense Committee