"Silence" is definitely a democratic right, but a right that has to be exercised within the structural hegemony that constructs each one of our individual politics and places us within our respective identities (to be blunt - shows us our place as a dalit, adivasi, muslim, woman, gay, transgendered, disabled etc.), be it within media, academia, high culture or just folklore. For instance, my school history text-books or general discussions never included any account of the anti-brahmin movement or people like Jyothi Thass and this is the matriculation syllabus in a linguistically and culturally proud state like Tamil Nadu. Neither was the history of Kashmir an issue. In this regard "silence" becomes violence by virtue of being an act of ommission - deliberate or otherwise. In this group itself there has been outrage expressed by various members, for instance on the issue of selective silence on the part of certain members with respect to Chengara - wouldn't that silence tantamount to violence? I believe the same silence to be violence respect to caste and issues like Kashmir or North East that do not reflect too well on our "national" or "patriotic" ethos
On 01/05/2008, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Salim, I was not mentioning about this group... Do you think the coverage > of the media in such a serious matter justifiable? > > On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 2:00 PM, salimtk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > 'cold response' sounds like an allegation. before also some members came > > up and did the same about the cold response on dalit related mails. > > do u think silence is always condemnable? > > > > > > On 5/1/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > I was mentioning about our cold response to this report... Did we take > > > it as a serious matter? I worry, we didn't > > > > > > > > > On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 1:19 PM, salimtk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > afthab, > > > > u mean the report of mass grave at uri area in kashmir is wrong? or > > > > the civil society responses and actions to it? > > > > what is wrong if the reporting and the actions done in the name of > > > > indian democracy? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 5/1/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > This is quite odd... Why Kashmir is excluded from our > > > > > consciousness? I would like to believe that this report is not > > > > > true... But > > > > > if it is, this is done in the name of Indian democracy, that we are > > > > > responsible for... > > > > > On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 10:46 AM, Anivar Aravind < > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > > > > > From: *Khurram Parvez* <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > > > > > > > > > > > > ASSOCIATION OF PARENTS OF DISAPPEARED PERSONS > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________________ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _Press Release_ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > / /*/28^th April 2008/* > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This is exactly one month after we released a report of a fact > > > > > > finding > > > > > > mission on nameless graves and mass graves in Uri area titled > > > > > > 'Facts > > > > > > Under Ground' which evoked response from the media, human rights > > > > > > groups, > > > > > > politicians and political formations of various hues, civil > > > > > > society and > > > > > > people at large. > > > > > > > > > > > > We want to utilize this occasion to appreciate, > > > > > > thank and > > > > > > criticize the concerned on their response; and to make requests > > > > > > and > > > > > > demands for fresh, comprehensive and sustained responses from > > > > > > the stake > > > > > > holders i.e. the local and international civil society and HR > > > > > > Groups, > > > > > > Political formations and resistance Groups, local and > > > > > > international > > > > > > media, lawyers' groups, international humanitarian agencies and > > > > > > people. > > > > > > > > > > > > First of all we appreciate the local print media for the > > > > > > coverage given > > > > > > to the report. We urge for a sustained campaign of follow up > > > > > > reporting > > > > > > to build a more compelling case for urgent international expert > > > > > > and > > > > > > humanitarian intervention in order to initiate credible measures > > > > > > to > > > > > > establish the identity of those buried in these graves and seek > > > > > > linkages > > > > > > with the thousands subjected to Enforced Disappearance by the > > > > > > state > > > > > > security agencies in Kashmir from 1989 till date. The families > > > > > > of the > > > > > > disappeared have neither the resources nor the expertise to > > > > > > carry out > > > > > > either the job of comprehensive reporting or the task of > > > > > > scientific > > > > > > exhumation and identification of those buried in these nameless > > > > > > graves > > > > > > and mass graves. > > > > > > > > > > > > We have received more reports of the existence of mass graves > > > > > > and > > > > > > nameless graves, some of which has already been reported by a > > > > > > section of > > > > > > the local press. We expect people and the media to be more > > > > > > proactive in > > > > > > reporting about the existence of such graves with all the > > > > > > available > > > > > > detail and local narratives about them. This will bring their > > > > > > existence > > > > > > into public knowledge and thereby help in safeguarding the grave > > > > > > sites > > > > > > from tampering. We request the people to take all steps > > > > > > necessary to > > > > > > safeguard these sites from any kind of interference till such > > > > > > time as we > > > > > > are able to garner the support and intervention of > > > > > > internationally > > > > > > credible expert and humanitarian bodies to undertake a thorough > > > > > > exercise > > > > > > of identifying these bodies. We believe some of those subjected > > > > > > to > > > > > > enforced disappearance are buried in these graves and the > > > > > > process of > > > > > > identification, that we are demanding, will provide some relief > > > > > > to the > > > > > > families whose kin have disappeared, will enable a decent burial > > > > > > of the > > > > > > victims and contribute to producing the necessary evidence > > > > > > against the > > > > > > perpetrators thus help in breaking the culture of impunity > > > > > > enjoyed by > > > > > > the state security agencies. It is the moral and humanitarian > > > > > > duty of > > > > > > the local people to do whatever is possible to safeguard these > > > > > > sites and > > > > > > the bounden duty of the local media persons to take extra pains > > > > > > to > > > > > > unearth these skeletons and ferret out the truth in all its ugly > > > > > > detail. > > > > > > > > > > > > We expect the local lawyer community to take up the issue in the > > > > > > relevant forums, file PIL and undertake a legal campaign to > > > > > > force the > > > > > > Government and its security agencies to come out with verifiable > > > > > > truth > > > > > > and fix responsibility for these crimes as it is the government > > > > > > and its > > > > > > security agencies who are the ultimate repositories of > > > > > > information about > > > > > > these graves and also about those disappeared involuntarily > > > > > > while in > > > > > > their custody. > > > > > > > > > > > > We impress upon the local political formations of > > > > > > all hues > > > > > > to encourage people to provide more information about these and > > > > > > other > > > > > > grave sites and to take necessary measures to safeguard these > > > > > > sites from > > > > > > tampering or interference considering them as an extremely > > > > > > sensitive and > > > > > > a sacred trust with them. > > > > > > > > > > > > We express our satisfaction at the issue of > > > > > > comprehensive > > > > > > statements by various humanitarian groups particularly the > > > > > > Amnesty > > > > > > International and the Asian Federation Against Involuntary > > > > > > Disappearances (AFAD) demanding that India should investigate > > > > > > all > > > > > > allegations of enforced disappearances in Jammu & Kashmir > > > > > > following > > > > > > reports of mass graves. > > > > > > > > > > > > We expect the international humanitarian bodies > > > > > > particularly > > > > > > the Amnesty International and AFAD to initiate steps toward > > > > > > implementation of their demands by lobbying with the relevant > > > > > > credible > > > > > > international bodies. > > > > > > > > > > > > We also urge the ICRC, which is operating in Kashmir > > > > > > to > > > > > > volunteer their expertise on this issue. > > > > > > > > > > > > We understand the callous attitude of the state > > > > > > security > > > > > > agencies in dismissing our findings as a result of their direct > > > > > > involvement in these crimes as is borne out by the various fake > > > > > > encounters and custodial killings documented and reported > > > > > > extensively. > > > > > > We believe that this callous and inhuman attitude of the > > > > > > security > > > > > > agencies springs from the culture of impunity produced as a > > > > > > result of > > > > > > the draconian laws operating in Jammu and Kashmir, which do not > > > > > > allow > > > > > > the families of the victims to pursue their cases productively. > > > > > > > > > > > > We believe that this report should be a cause of > > > > > > alarm for > > > > > > those with a human heart and a concrete basis for the > > > > > > international > > > > > > expert groups and humanitarian and human rights bodies for > > > > > > initiating an > > > > > > urgent action to probe the matter. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Spokesperson > > > > > > > > > > > > Ghulam Nabi Mir > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Bobby Kunhu --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
