Jesuit Missions is seeking to clear the name of Fr Stan Swamy SJ, an Indian Jesuit priest.
Fr Stan was arrested, aged 83, in October 2020 on false charges of terrorism. He was kept in appalling conditions in prison and died as a result in July 2021, aged 84.
We want the Government of India to make an official declaration of his innocence.
As part of this campaign, we’ll be delivering greetings cards in memory of Fr Stan at the Indian High Commission in London on 25 April, the day before what would have been Fr Stan’s 88th birthday.
To get involved in this action, buy a card for Fr Stan, design one yourself, or use our convenient templates(see below). In it, write one or more of the messages which we suggest on the website, and sign it. Send the card to us at Jesuit Missions, 11 Edge Hill, London SW19 4LR, to arrive by Monday 31 March at the latest.
Who was Father Stan Swamy and why do we want to clear his name?
Fr Stan was an Indian Jesuit priest who worked for the rights of Adivasi (indigenous tribal) and Dalit (low caste) people. He was deeply involved in the Adivasi movement against displacement, and was supportive of the ‘Pathalgadi’ protests, which erected traditional burial stones to mark Adivasi lands and protect them from being claimed by corporations and other outsiders.
On 8 October 2020, aged 83, he was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for supposed crimes against the government of India and alleged involvement in violence surrounding protests in 2018 at a place called Bhima Koregaon. Another 15 critics of the Indian government were also accused of involvement in this violence and arrested, and together with Fr Stan they are known as the ‘BK16’. Some of them are still being held in detention without trial.
Fr Stan was imprisoned in overcrowded and insanitary conditions in Taloja Jail, Mumbai, and denied access to basic amenities such as a straw and sipper, which he needed to drink water because of hand tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease. Applications for bail were refused. Medical attention was sought as his condition deteriorated. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) courts rejected his pleas for interim bail on medical grounds and even opposed his moving to a private hospital.
His lawyer finally managed to get him moved on 28 May 2021 into the Jesuit-run Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai. He was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit and given oxygen support. Two days later he tested positive for COVID-19. The High Court was supposed to hear his bail plea on 3 July but adjourned the hearing to three days later. Fr Stan died of cardiac arrest at 1.30pm on 5 July 2021, aged 84.
In December 2022, Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm Arsenal Consulting reported the results of its investigation into the evidence which had led to Fr Swamy’s arrest and imprisonment. The report concluded that Fr Stan was systematically targeted in a cyber campaign over a four-year period during which time falsified evidence was planted on his computer.
Fr Stan’s Catholic faith, his criticism of the Government of India, his advocacy of the rights of the poor, and particularly his denunciation of corporate power and corruption, made him a natural target for official persecution.
It was for challenging the framing, killing and unjust imprisonment of Adivasi youth that Fr Stan believed the authorities decided to arrest him. He died before he was able to defend himself in court. We believe that the accusations against him were false and that the Indian authorities knew they were false. We believe that they owe it to Fr Stan, his friends and family, his community and the entire Society of Jesus, to make an official declaration of his innocence. Justice also demands that all the ‘BK16’ receive fair and speedy legal process.
