Sat 20 February 2021:
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended support to 22-year-old Disha Ravi in India, who is in jail for alleged sedition and other charges for editing a “toolkit” that the police claim was used to conspire against the country over the protest by farmers against new agriculture laws.
Fridays for Future (FFF), a group founded by Ms Thunberg in August 2018 when she was 15, also tweeted it would “raise our voices peacefully and respectfully for those at stake, to ensure justice for everyone.”
“Freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest and assembly are non-negotiable human rights. These must be a fundamental part of any democracy. #StandWithDishaRavi” Ms Thunberg tweeted, liking to a thread posted by FFF on Ms Ravi’s arrest.
Freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest and assembly are non-negotiable human rights. These must be a fundamental part of any democracy. #StandWithDishaRavi https://t.co/fhM4Cf1jf1
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 19, 2021
The Delhi Police said two others, Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, along with Ms Ravi edited the “toolkit” to plan how the farmer protests should be carried out. Such an act amounts to sedition, the police said, amid widespread criticism that such planning is common for any social media campaign.
The Google Docs file was tweeted by Ms Thunberg earlier this month to back the farmer protests, and then deleted. A tractor rally by farmers in Delhi on January 26 had turned violent.
“Disha has been an integral part of this movement. Not only has she been voicing out environment concerns in India but strived for the equality and representation of the country’s most affected and marginalized groups in the global climate movement’s narrative,” FFF tweeted.
Ms Ravi’s bail petition will be heard on Saturday. Stressing on the possibility of “evidence tampering”, the police on Friday sought three more days of judicial custody for Ms Ravi.
The Delhi High Court cautioned the media against sensationalism after Ms Ravi in a petition sought action against three news channels and a direction to the police to not leak investigation material, including alleged content of her private chats. Investigators have denied leaking any private chats to reporters.
