An Editorial in this week's Lancet calls for justice for Indian doctor Binayak Sen, a distinguished Indian paediatrician and a tireless human rights activist. He has been imprisoned in a Raipur jail in the state of Chhattisgarh, India, and has been convicted of no crime, yet is being held under draconian state laws for his alleged association with the Naxalites-an outlawed Indian communist movement, deemed to be a threat to national security. To date, there is no proof of his involvement in extremist activities but he remains incarcerated for supplementary charges indefinitely.

Sen and his wife, Ilina, have devoted their entire working lives to improve the health and welfare of the Adivasis, a marginalised and poverty-stricken tribal population. A troubling fallout of his incarceration is that much of his good work is slowly being eroded. His clinic, which provided essential health services, is on the verge of collapse. The Editorial says: "The worldwide condemnation of his arrest and calls for his release continue to fall on deaf ears."

The Editorial expresses grave concern over reports of Sen's deteriorating health, and concludes: "It is outrageous that Sen has now been in prison for almost 2 years in a prolonged trial that keeps shifting charges which are unclear and possibly politically motivated. Faith in the Indian justice system needs to be restored. The Indian Government must intervene and make sure justice is done, so that Sen and his family can return to a normal life and resume serving the poorest communities in the state."

Source
Tony Kirby
Press Officer
The Lancet
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