New Delhi: On Human Rights Day, Fraternity Movement’s National General Secretary, Lubaib Basheer, delivered a powerful speech at a protest meet titled “Dissenters Behind The Bars” held at Jantar Mantar. Organised in collaboration with various student organisations, the protest spotlighted the plight of political prisoners in India.
Addressing a gathering of nearly 500 students from universities across Delhi, Basheer called for immediate release of political prisoners, underscoring the government’s obligation to uphold human rights. He cited the tragic case of Father Stan Swamy, whose death in custody epitomised the systemic neglect of human rights in India.
Basheer condemned the targeted repression faced by marginalised communities, detailing how dissenting voices are silenced through imprisonment, lynching, and destruction of properties. “This Human Rights Day must resonate with solidarity for those resisting oppression, not just in India but globally, including in Palestine, Syria, and Sudan,” he stated. “The oppressive system will fall, and we are witnesses to its downfall,” he added.
The Fraternity Movement also demanded the release of prominent political prisoners, including anti-CAA activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and Gulfisha Fatima, North East Delhi activists, BK-16 members such as Prof. Hany Babu and Sudha Bharadwaj, and leaders from Kerala, E. Aboobecker and A.S. Ismail.
The event featured speeches from notable figures like Raja Ram Singh, V. Sivadasan, and Syeda Hameed, as well as testimonies from families of political prisoners. Students from institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Delhi University actively participated, raising slogans and expressing solidarity with resistance movements.
