The following is a letter we sent to Senator Lincoln Chafee regarding our India case.
December 13, 2000
Senator Lincoln Chafee
10 Dorrance St.- Suite 221
Providence, RI 02903
Dear Senator Chafee:
Congratulations on your selection by the people of Rhode Island to be one of our representatives in the Senate of the United States. Very best wishes for a long and fruitful tenure.
I am writing today to ask your help to secure the release of a prisoner in India entrusted to Amnesty, Group 49 here in Providence.
Noor Mohammed Karwal was a leader of the Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, which seeks, by peaceful means, the independence of the state of Kashmir. He was arrested in September 1991 under the Public Safety Act. If he had been tried and convicted then, he would have been sentenced to one year in prison, the punishment imposed for violation of this law.
However, Mr. Karwal was never tried, despite the Indian Court's repeated call for his presentation. Three dates were set for his appearance in court, but he was not brought before a judge.
Amnesty Group 49 asks you to send a letter on Mr. Karwal's behalf to
Mr. P. L. Handoo
Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
India
Please ask for Mr. Karwal's immediate and unconditional release from custody, given that he has already spent nine years in prison for an alleged offense which carried a one-year penalty.
Enclosed is a summary of Mr. Karwal's case and two letters written for him prepared for our annual Write-a-thon.
Thank you for your attention. The members of Amnesty Group 49 hope you will act to deliver Mr. Karwal, and that you will continue to be a force for justice in our world as you fulfill your duties in the U. S. Senate.
Respectfully,
Marcia Lieberman
Coordinator, Group 49
Amnesty International USA
Bernadette Mernin
India Case Coordinator
38 Ivanhoe St.
Cranston, RI 02910
401-943-3496