Father Stan Swamy To Posthumously Receive Human Rights Honorary Award At Geneva Today

Father Xavier Soreng SJ, Ranchi will participate in the ceremony and receive the honorary award on behalf of Father Stan Swamy.

Father Stan (1937-2021), as he was better known, was a Jesuit priest and activist who founded several organizations to promote human rights in Jharkhand state, India. He dedicated much of his work to advance the rights of Adivasi communities. He advocated for empowering the Adivasi communities to claim the rights to their land and legitimize their cultural heritage and knowledge.

"Father Stan was nominated to the Award in spring 2021, but he sadly passed away before it could reach him," says Chair of the Award Jury, Hans Thoolen. "The Jury wished to shine a light on Father Stan's many contributions to human rights, which cannot be eclipsed by his unjust incarceration by Indian authorities," he said according to the award website.

Father Stan was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on October 8, 2020, for his alleged links in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad caste violence, which he vehemently denied. At the age of 83 and suffering from Parkinson's disease, Father Stan claimed he had difficulty eating and drinking in prison. He spent 9 months in jail until May 29, 2021, when his condition became critical and he was finally transferred to a hospital. Father Swamy passed away on July 5 at the age of 84, ahead of his bail hearing.

The other laureates for the award are Daouda Diallo from Burkina Faso, Pham Doan Trang from Vietnam and Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja of Bahrain.