April 2021 Action

In October 2020, an 83-year-old Jesuit priest in India, Father Stan Swamy, was arrested and held without bail on charges of “inciting violence between castes” and sedition, among other claims. It is strongly believed that these charges against Father Swamy and 15 others stem from Father Swamy’s work among very poor, exploited indigenous people in India, who come up against powerful mining corporations. And the Indian government has used anti-terrorism laws to unfairly target and silence activists, educators, and other allies of the those on the lowest rung of India’s caste system. We join with Hindus for Human Rights and the Jesuits in calling for the release of Father Stan Swamy. Our action this month is to write to the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call on our government to intervene on behalf of this innocent priest, who struggles with Parkinson’s disease, has had multiple hernias, and since being incarcerated, has lost hearing in both ears.

Write to:

Secretary of State Blinken
2201 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20520

Suggested points:

  • Express your dismay at the unjust detention of Father Stan Swamy and your desire to see the United States intervene as an ally of India in this case of religious and political persecution.
  • Express your understanding that the Indian government is using misapplied terrorism laws to target Father Swamy and those who are working on behalf of the poorest in India and thwart their efforts for justice for the exploited.
  • Indicate that the violence that Father Swamy is accused of inciting occurred in a town he has never visited in his life.
  • Respectfully request that the United States government officially condemn the incarceration of Father Stan Swamy, ask the Indian Government to release him immediately, and ask the Indian Government to stop arbitrary arrests of innocent citizens.

Or alternately, paste the following link into your browser to be brought to an online petition also calling for the immediate release of Father Swamy.

https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/take-action-2/release-fr-stan/