League for the Fifth International
Rawal Asad, a Pakistani student leader from Government Emerson College in Multan and an activist of the “Progressive Youth Alliance”, PYA, was arrested on February 12 under the false accusation of sedition. The judges even refused to hear a proper defence from his lawyers and refused to release him on bail on February 15.
He was arrested for participation in a peaceful protest on February 5, called by the Pashtun Protection Movement, PTM, against the killing of Arman Luni, who was beaten to death by the police. Participation in this rally and solidarity with the oppressed seems to amount to “sedition” in the eyes of the police and the judge. In reality, Rawal Asad was brought to court because he exercised his democratic rights and defended the rights of other people! We strongly condemn this outrageous act and solidarise without reservation with Rawal Asad, the PYA and all those who have come out in solidarity with them.
Other activists who were also arrested at the same protests against the killing of Arman Luni, amongst them several students and PTM leaders from Islamabad and Ammar Ali Jan, a professor at FC College in Lahore, were released on bail and are currently awaiting trial.
All this clearly demonstrates that the government wants to stop all actions in solidarity with the oppressed and is prepared to attack the basic right to organise and protest. We condemn these undemocratic and unlawful arrests and the refusal to release the innocent student leaders on bail. We support the Progressive Youth Alliance campaign for the release of Rawal Asad and its demand that the case against him and other activists from the left, the democratic movements, the Pashtun students and other minorities, be withdrawn.
We call an all left and working class organisations to support the actions to free Rawal Asad!
Sign the petition on change.org!
https://www.change.org/p/government-of-pakistan-release-rawal-asad?recru…