Second Congress Documents

ON THE VIOLENCE IN ANDHRA PRADESH

We, the International Association of Peoples’ Lawyers, express our anguish and concern over the developments in Andhra Pradesh which have far-reaching consequences in the field of civil liberties and democratic rights.  In the wake of the attack on the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the government of A.P. has unleashed a reign of terror on the activists of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee. 

There is an ongoing confrontation between the A.P. government and the C.P.I (ML) (People’s War).  Whenever the government suffers a setback in this political fight between them, it avenges itself on the A.P.C.L.C. which is a legal organization.  This violates the basic norms of the rule of law and the international covenants to which the government of India is a party. 

WHEREFORE, we people’s lawyers, law students and legal workers from the International Association of Peoples’s Lawyers (IAPL) gathered in 2^nd Congress, resolve, as it is hereby resolved: 

To call upon the government of India and the government of Andhra Pradesh, in particular, to refrain from such unlawful and undemocratic activities and to conform to the norms laid down by the Indian Constitution and the various international conventions. 

Adopted this 9^th day of November 2003, Istanbul, Turkey.