Imphal, December 09 2009: Human Rights Law Network; Extra Judicial Executed Victims' Families Association, Manipur; Kanglei Young Women's Socio-Cultural Organisation; Human Rights Initiatives; Human Rights Alert and Eastern Women Development Centre will join hands in conducting a 3-day long 'independent people's tribunal on torture, extra-judicial execution and forced disappearances' from December 11 to 13 at Retreat House, Mantripukhri.

Announcing this during a press conference at the office of Human Rights Law Network here this afternoon, executive director of the Network Meihoubam Rakesh pointed out that in the last few years, an unprecedented rise in the number of 'encounter' killings involving both the State police commandos as ell as Central security forces have been witnessed.

IN most of these killings, the family members or eyewitnesses claimed that the victims have either picked up from their houses or elsewhere by armed men who arrived in plain cloths and that there is no chance of their involvement in encounters.

So the tribunal is being organised to offer a platform for victims and civil societies to narrate their experiences and to identity the underlying causes of these human rights abuses, the State response, as well as exploring steps to eliminate its practice in Manipur, he added.

It is conveyed that during the three-day long hearing, the 42 victims and victim's families would depose in front of a jury comprising former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court KK Usha; former Judge of Calcutta High Court DK Basu; former Acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Moloy Sen Gupta; retired District and Sessions Judge, Manipur East Th Sudhir Singh; retired District and Sessions Judge, Manipur C Upendra Singh and former members of Manipur Human Rights Commission Lisham Rabindra Singh and Yambem Laba.

Advocate Khaidem Mani, human rights activist Laishram Jinine Meetei, Advocate Sorenshangbam Lakhikanta, lecturer of LMS Law College N Pramod Singh, Senior Government Advocate (High Court) Th Ibohal Singh, social activist Wahengbam Joykumar and Dr Ksh Bimola Devi of Dept of Political Science, MU would attend the hearing as resource persons.

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