In his lifetime, Fr Stan Swamy SJ stood with the excluded, championing the rights of indigenous people in India. On Tuesday 20th June 2023, members of the Jesuit Missions’ team and Jesuits and their lay collaborators from the London area will once again stand in solidarity with Stan in order to bring pressure on the Indian government to clear this innocent man’s name.
Fr Stan Swamy, an Indian Jesuit priest and activist was arrested and imprisoned in 2020 accused of crimes against the government of India and his supposed involvement in violence surrounding the 2018 Bhima Koregaon protests. He died of Covid-19 in July 2021 after spending 7 months in an Indian prison.
An investigation by Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm Arsenal Consulting concluded that the evidence that resulted in Fr Swamy’s arrest was the result of a cyber campaign over a four-year period during which time which falsified evidence was planted on the priest’s computer.
On Tuesday 20th June 2023, supporters will gather at the High Commission of India for a silent vigil and presentation of a petition calling on the Indian Government to clear Fr Stan’s name. The petition has already gathered nearly 6000 signatures. A petition in Jharkhand has already received over 10,000 signatures.
Fr Stan stood with the excluded. Jesuit Missions and the Jesuits in Britain are standing in solidarity with his legacy and appealing to the Indian government to clear the name of this innocent man.
If you would like to sign the petition please click here
If you would like to join the demonstration, please download the schedule for more information.
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