Imphal, Aug 06: With the primary objective of repealing Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 and spreading legal awareness among the people of Manipur, Human Rights Alert (HRA), Imphal and Manipur Unit of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) began a poster campaign from today.

Kicking off the campaign, Bijo Francis of South Asian Desk of the Asian Human Rights Commission, a prominent human rights organisation with its headquarters at Hong Kong released a life sized colour poster of hunger striker Irom Chanu Sharmila during a function at Manipur Press Club here today.

The poster of Sharmila with 'Restore right to life.

Repeal AFSPA' printed on the upper portion also has a number of names of arbitrary killings, torture, enforced disappearances, massacres and rapes perpetrated by security forces.

The 36-year old gutsy girl from Kongpal Khongkham Leikai of Imphal East District has been fasting since a day after Assam Rifles troops mowed down ten innocent civilians at Malom in Greater Imphal area on November 1, 2000.She is presently being kept nosefed at the security ward of JN Hospital, Porompat.

Speaking at the occasion advocate Meihoubam Rakesh of HRLN said apart from spreading legal awareness and pointing out the draconian provisions given in the repressive Act to the people living in the remote areas of the State, consultation programme particularly for the victims of AFSPA would also be conducted during the 3 month long campaign.

Francis, who has conducted a three-day study on the ground realities and impact of the excesses committed on the people by the security forces with immunity granted under AFSPA, said he is in support of the people's long standing demand of scrapping AFSPA as it is counter productive in all spheres.

Based on his studies, the prominent rights activist, who has gained the UN special consultative status on the subject matter, observed that besides giving unrestrained power to the armed forces, AFSPA has caused tremendous fear psychosis among the innocent public.

'What is the use of retaining such draconian Act, when it has helped nothing but mushrooming up of a number of underground organisations and severe human rights violation by the armed forces', Francis said.

While pointing out that there is lack of legal awareness among the people in challenging the excesses of the State forces, he noted that this might be caused by either the withdrawal of the cases by the litigants after reaching an understanding with the opposite party or under coercion.

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