A group of 40 Nobel laureates from 12 countries are rallying behind jailed rights activist Binayak Sen, who was convicted of sedition by a Chhattisgarh court. The group is demanding Sen’s immediate release.
The laureates, including Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who received a Nobel in Chemistry in 2009, have issued an appeal that Sen’s bail plea “be heard without delay under the highest standards of Indian law”.
Sen, a paediatrician and social activist, was sentenced to life term by a lower court on December 24, 2010, over his links with Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal. Senior criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani is now representing Sen in court.
“We...respectfully express our astonishment and dismay at the unjust life sentence handed down last month in India to a fellow scientist and human rights advocate, 61-year-old Binayak Sen,” said the appeal posted on the binayaksen.net website, set up by Sen’s supporters. The Noble laureates demanding Sen’s immediate release described him as “an exceptional, courageous and selfless colleague”, who has dedicated his life to helping those in India who are least able to help themselves.