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UN Human Rights Petition to Get Justice for Women Wrestlers of India

Petition to Investigate the Sexual Harassment / Sextortion Allegations by the Protesting Wrestlers of India and to Save Them from Delhi Police Brutality

Sextortion, as defined by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), is the abuse of power to obtain a sexual benefit or advantage. As such, it is a form of corruption in which sex, rather than money, is the currency of the bribe. [ Link ]

To                                                                                                                                  June 2, 2023

Mr. Volker Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson, 52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland

Copy to [ for immediate action ]:

The President
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Maison Olympique
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland 

The President
United World Wrestling (UWW)
Rue du Château 6
1804 Corsier-sur-Vevey
Switzerland 

Petition to Investigate the Sexual Harassment / Sextortion Allegations by the Protesting Wrestlers of India and to Save Them from Delhi Police Brutality

Petition filed under Article 5, Article 7, Article 8, Article 12, Article 20, Article 28, and other relevant provisions provided under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Petition by: Rakesh Raman [ a journalist and human rights defender in India ]

I have sent this petition to Mr. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and other authorities with the appeal to deliver justice to the protesting women wrestlers in India.

The excerpts from the petition and the link to the full petition are given below. 

Since the accused – Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Brij Bhushan) – in this case belongs to the ruling regime in India, no action is being taken against him despite a constant protest by the victims and their supporters in New Delhi.

A group of internationally recognized women wrestlers have formally accused Brij Bhushan of serious sextortion / sexual harassment offences. The Supreme Court of India has handled the case in a perfunctory manner.

The situation is worse in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India which is headed by Justice Arun Kumar Mishra as its chairman. Mishra – who was handpicked arbitrarily in 2021 – has completely failed in his responsibility to protect human rights in India. 

Although the harassed wrestlers are holding a peaceful protest in New Delhi, such protests do not succeed in authoritarian regimes such as India. Such peaceful protests by the oppressed citizens have repeatedly failed in the autocratic nations such Belarus, China, Israel, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, and so on. Rather, the protesters are being attacked, incarcerated, tortured, or even killed by the police and security forces.

It is alleged in the first information report (FIR) of Delhi Police filed on April 28, 2023 that Brij Bhushan has been demanding “sexual favours” from the female wrestlers including minors and there are at least 15 incidents of sexual harassment that include 10 episodes of inappropriate touching and molestation. 

The wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia are leading the protest. While the fundamental rights of these women are being violated, they have no judicial forum in India where they can go and get justice.

The international organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW) have issued some perfunctory statements about the protesting Indian wrestlers, but they have not taken any punitive or formal legal action against the accused in this case.

The protesting wrestlers are demanding the imprisonment of Brij Bhushan. But imprisonment is not a sufficient punishment for him. These days, top Indian politicians enjoy all luxuries – including full-body massage – in jails and they keep moving out of jails at their will. And even if Brij Bhushan is jailed, the Modi government will soon release him as it had released last year the Bilkis Bano case convicts who were jailed for the rape and murder of innocent people.

Therefore, I urge the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international authorities to hold a fair trial of Brij Bhushan under their direct supervision and eventually incarcerate him in a prison such as the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which is a U.S. military prison known for its harsh treatment of prisoners.

Now, an independent international judicial forum like the OHCHR is required to protect the rights of women wrestlers of India. And for the wrestlers’ immediate protection from the police brutality, OHCHR should deploy a dedicated team of officials in New Delhi.

[ You can click here to read the full petition with the appeal to provide justice to the sexually harassed women wrestlers in India. ]

Related Reports

[ Sexual Harassment Case: Wrestlers Leading a Directionless Protest ]

[ Digital Microsite Launched to Cover Sextortion Case in India ]

[ Will Wrestlers Get Justice in Sexual Harassment Case Against BJP Leader? ]

[ VIDEO: क्या भाजपा नेता के खिलाफ यौन उत्पीड़न मामले में पहलवानों को न्याय मिलेगा? ]

[ World Body Intervenes to Get Justice for Protesting Wrestlers in India ]

[ Wrestlers End Street Protest, Go Back to Their Office ]

[ Web Platform for Protesting Wrestlers in India ]

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