Body
WHEREAS, on May 13, 2008, vigils and protests were held around the world, including a candlelight vigil at the Church of the Redeemer in Squirrel Hill, to mark the one-year anniversary of the unjust arrest and detention of Dr. Binayak Sen of Chhattisgarh, India ; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Binayak Sen has spent the past three decades selflessly serving the poor and disenfranchised as a pediatrician, public health physician, and human rights activist in the state of Chhattisgarh; and
WHEREAS, the Global Health Council has announced that Dr. Binayak Sen will be awarded the prestigious 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights; and
WHEREAS, twenty-two Nobel Laureates around the world have signed an appeal to the Indian authorities requesting that Dr. Binayak Sen be released from prison to receive the award and to continue his medical humanitarian work; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Binayak Sen has gained the respect of the international community for his work in poverty, public health, and human rights, providing a voice for the voiceless.
Title
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City Pittsburgh commends Dr. Binayak Sen for his decades of service to the poor and oppressed, and believes that an injustice to one is an injustice to all; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh joins the international community in appealing to the Government of India to release Dr. Binayak Sen from prison and allow him to continue his noble work.