Free Sori and Kodopi, Amnesty tells Chhattisgarh

Amnesty International has asked the Chhattisgarh government to drop all charges against tribal activists Soni Sori and Lingaram Kodopi and release them immediately and unconditionally.

Amnesty considers them Prisoners of Conscience "who have been arrested on false charges solely because they criticized human rights violations by security forces in Chhattisgarh".

Sori and Kodopi have been in detention since October and September 2011 respectively. Sori's husband Anil Futane died on Aug 2 but she was denied bail to perform his last rites.

"Soni Sori and Lingaram Kodopi's continued detention is a matter of shame for India," said Shashikumar Velath, Director of Programmes at Amnesty International India.

 

"Their cases show just how far authorities in Chhattisgarh can go to silence their critics.

"The government of Chhattisgarh needs to stop filing politically motivated charges against Adivasis, and start listening to what they have to say."