With apologies for cross posting:
PRESS RELEASE
AMARC condemns ruling on 377 in India, calls on members to rally behind the right to identity
December 18, 2013, Kathmandu. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC Asia Pacific) strongly condemns the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in India on Sec. 377 of its Penal Code, which criminalizes concensual same-sex relations.
AMARC Asia-Pacific expresses its solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in India. In its Bangalore (2010) and Seoul (2013) Declarations, AMARC AP reaffirmed that everyone has a right to live with dignity and without fear of persecution, and resolved “to create spaces on the airwaves for diverse and marginalized voices, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, class, caste, religious beliefs or disability.”
“The Supreme Court judgment on Sec. 377 is not only retrograde, but also schizophrenic in the context of the government of India guidelines of 2006 specifically in the context of community radio content regulation,” says Ashish Sen, ex-president of AMARC AP. Sec. 377 is inconsistent with India's international obligations in policy making as signatory to UN Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It violates the right to equality, right to non-discrimination, and rights to be protected against unreasonable interference with privacy and arbitrary detention, which are enshrined in the UNDHR and ICCPR.
“Moreover, the ruling on Sec. 377 legitimizes hate and prejudice against perceived or actual LGBTs, making them even more vulnerable to acts of violence and human rights violations. This was already documented in the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report, Born Free and Equal,” points out Maica Lagman, AMARC AP president.
“As community radio broadcasters, we are committed to giving voice to those who are marginalized based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This ruling is a backward step in human rights and only pushes LGBTs deeper into silence,” adds Lagman.
AMARC recognizes that community radio is an important tool in breaking down social barriers and stereotypes that marginalise or exclude people based on their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, class, caste, religious beliefs or disability. AMARC AP calls on its members to stand behind the right to identity, and urges India’s parliament to uphold its international obligations and to overturn the ruling on 377.
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Through service to its members, networking and project implementation, the World Association of Community Radios (AMARC) brings together more than 5,000 community radios, federations and community radio partners in more than 130 countries. The main impact of AMARC since its foundation in 1983 has been to accompany and support the establishment of a global community radio sector. AMARC does lobbying and advocacy for the right to communication internationally, nationally and at the local and neighborhood levels, and defends and promotes the interests of the community radio movement through solidarity, networking and cooperation. For more information, please contact Suman Basnet, Regional Coordinator for Asia-Pacific, [log in to unmask] or visit http://ap.amarc.org/.
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Suman Basnet
Regional Coordinator
AMARC Asia Pacific
Kathmandu, Nepal
Web: http://ap.amarc.org/
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