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<DIV>Please email all three of the below, feel free to edit;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh<BR>Email:
mail@cmo.cg.gov.in<BR><BR><BR>Director General of Police<BR>Giridhari Nayak
Chhattisgarh Home Guard & Civil Defence, Mana</DIV>
<DIV>Email: <A>dgrai.hgcd-cg@gov.in</A><BR><BR>Jail Superintendent<BR>Amit
Shandilya<BR>Jagdalpur Central Jail<BR>Email: <A>jdrjail@gmail.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dear Sir<BR><BR> I am contacting you today in grave concern for
detained journalist Santosh Yadav and seven other prisoners beaten for
protesting against the quality of food served in the Jagdalpur central
jail. Santosh Yadav and the seven other prisoners were, according to
family and media reports, beaten by state police after they peacefully protested
about the quality of food at the jail on 2 November. On 3 November, police
authorities registered a criminal case against Santosh and the seven other
pre-trial detainees in relation to the protest, accusing them of offences
including ‘rioting’. Santosh Yadav’s relatives say they have not been
allowed to see him since the incident.<BR><BR> His brother, Jitender
Yadav, has said that the family only heard about the beating on 4 November when
Santosh called from a hospital. The prison authorities have yet to provide a
reason for their refusal to allow the family to visit Santosh. Amnesty
International has not been able to make contact with the prison authorities. The
extent of Santosh Yadav’s injuries remain unclear. <BR><BR><BR>
Santosh Yadav was arrested on 29 September 2015 and is being held under the
Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act. It is believed that he is being targeted for his work among
Indigenous Adivasi communities in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, and that the
allegations against him are fabricated.</DIV>
<DIV><BR> According to his lawyer and family, this is not the first time
Santosh has been mistreated, as he was stripped and humiliated by the state
police in June 2015 and tortured on 30 September 2015, and told Amnesty
International in August 2016 that he had received threats to his life from an
inmate.<BR><BR><BR> I therefore respectfully urge you to immediately drop
charges filed against all prisoners solely for protesting against prison
conditions, and launch an independent investigation into the beatings;
<BR><BR> Please also immediately and unconditionally release Santosh Yadav
and drop all pending charges against him, and pending his release, ensure he is
given regular access to his lawyer and family;<BR><BR> And finally, please
ensure that all prisoners in the state are treated in accordance with the UN
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and are not subjected to
torture or other ill-treatment.<BR><BR>Most
respectfully,</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>