PRESS RELEASE

8 February 2002

OTTAWAY SUPPORTS IAN STILLMAN CAMPAIGN

Richard Ottaway, Conservative MP for Croydon South, has given his support to a Parliamentary Motion calling for the Prime Minister to make urgent representations to the Indian Government over the imprisonment of British charity worker, Ian Stillman. Ian Stillman recently lost his appeal against a ten-year jail sentence for possessing cannabis in India.
Richard Ottaway says:-

"Ian Stillman has worked with the deaf and campaigned on their behalf in India for thirty years. Being deaf himself, he lost his appeal following a trial where he was forced to lip-read translations of the proceedings conducted entirely in Hindi. This is clearly unjust and falls far short of the high standards expected of India's judicial system."

"I call upon the Prime Minister to intervene by making the strongest representations possible to the Indian Government".


ENDS.

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