A resolution commemorating the life of Indian human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and seeking an independent investigation into the death of the Jesuit priest has been introduced in the US Congress, Congressman Juan Vargas has said.
Vargas, the Representative from the US state of California, announced that he recently introduced the resolution in Congress to commemorate Swamy "and to encourage an independent investigation" into his death.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Representatives Andre Carson and James McGovern, has been introduced in the US House of Representatives and coincides with the first anniversary of 84-year-old Swamy's death in police custody.
Vargas, a Democratic Party Congressman, spoke at a webinar titled 'Persecution of Religious Minorities and their Defenders in India: Commemorating Father Stan's Death in Custody' on Tuesday.
UK MP Neale Hanvey, MEP Alviina Alametsa (EU), Senator David Shoebridge (Australia), and UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor addressed the event.
The webinar was co-organised by Front Line Defenders, Hindus for Human Rights, the Humanism Project, India Civil Watch International, and Survival International, and co-sponsored by Adivasi Lives Matter, Dalit Solidarity Forum, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA), and the Indian American Muslim Council, a joint press release said.
The panelists noted Swamy's extensive service fighting for the rights of Adivasi people, it added.
"I am appalled by the abuse Father Stan faced while in custody. No one who fights for human rights should face such violence and neglect," said Vargas.