india is targeting young women to silence dissent & muzzle free speech. 21yo climate activist #DishaRavi was arrested for tweeting a benign google doc about the #farmersprotest. bjp ministers have called for her “eradication” & their online army "jokes" about her custodial rape
24yo #NodeepKaur a dalit labour activist supporting the #farmersprotest is being tortured & assaulted in police custody since jan 12. there are so many other women swallowed by india’s vindictive legal system whose names we don't know
“Sweden’s V-Dem Institute lists India among the top 10 countries most quickly becoming autocracies, adding that it is “on the verge of losing its status as a democracy due to the severely shrinking of space for the media, civil society and the opposition.” time.com/5939510/joe-bi…
many believe the govt plans to make an example out of #DishaRavi & others to break solidarity bw youth activists & the #farmersprotest. this aligns w/ their longterm plan to malign the sikh diaspora. here's how they launch their coordinated attacks:
for years we’ve seen india charge activists under draconian UAPA law. whether it's a journalist critiquing the govt or a citizen starting a peaceful protest. a UAPA charge means it's nearly impossible to get bail. by @pawanjotkaur : thewire.in/rights/rampant…
UAPA is consistently used to target young muslim activists like Safoora Zargar &journalists like Masrat Zahra. meanwhile govt ministers who instigated last year’s delhi pogroms to kill muslims are celebrated & remain in power. aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/26…
a report by @newslaundry demonstrates how targeted harassment by BJP/RSS trolls is a giant industry. if you’re receiving hate for spreading awareness, on the other side of the keyboard is someone whose full-time job is to harass you into silence
the intl community has become well aware of india’s attacks on civil liberties. now is the time to make sure the indian govt’s human rights abuses are no longer swept under the rug.
disha ravi, a 21-year-old climate activist, has been arrested by delhi police for sharing a toolkit @GretaThunberg posted in support of the #farmersprotest.
disha’s arrest is alarming and the world needs to pay attention. #freedisharavi
disha ravi co-founded @FFFIndia campaign. she & her peers across the world are the courageous & brilliant young activists who’ve led the global movement for climate justice in recent years.
on feb 4 delhi police had filed an FIR against the creators of the toolkit @GretaThunberg shared (btw the creators are a canadian nonprofit). many speculated that india did this to scare and target local activists who were supporting the #farmersprotest
on jan 29 - freelance journalist @mandeeppunia1 discovers that police helped bjp mobs attack peaceful protesters at singhu border. these mobs pelted stones and petrol bombs into the protest site while attempting to target the tents of female farmers. instagram.com/tv/CLE9HzJBYpb/
after discovering the police’s complicity in supporting mob violence @mandeeppunia1 records a video of his investigation and posts it on facebook. police get word of his reporting and target him.
police locate mandeep at singhu border. they beat &drag him off site, while a bystander records and posts it footage online. police drag him into a tent & continue beating him. they say “you think you’re a big reporter now huh? you’ll be reporting from inside tihar jail now!”
happy birthday nodeep kaur ♥️ it breaks my heart that you were illegally detained on january 12 and have since been held without any due process. you’re spending your birthday inside a jail cell.
your crime? that you had the bravery to fight against exploitation in a country that criminalizes dissent. you fought for the rights of labourers. it breaks my heart to think of the torture and sexual abuse you are enduring in police custody.
i first posted this video on nov 29 2020. back then many of these faces were new to me. i was drawn to the song they were singing. perhaps my favourite from the #farmersprotest
the three FIRs filed against nodeep are baseless. she’s been targeted for successfully mobilizing workers and labourers in fighting against exploitation and supporting the #farmersprotest
while nodeep is tortured and sexually assaulted in police custody she tells her sister @Rajveer88724 : “please find lawyers to help support the other girls in jail with me”
many have asked what more they can do for the #farmersprotest. we’ve been told by human rights orgs that raising awareness on social media is most effective in this situation. it is pertinent that we keep bringing international attention to this!!!!!
posting on socials may feel small but it IS action. doesn’t matter if you have 10 followers or 10,000- EVERY voice makes a difference. don't diminish the power of awareness. speak loudly and proudly my friends. ✊🏽 we’re on the right side of history.
let’s also keep focused: modi’s 3 farm bills will corporatize agriculture and millions will lose their livelihoods. months ago punjabis marched to delhi in what has now become the largest protest in the world. across india ppl organized the biggest strike in human history.