Please help Ian Stillman! (-Christian charity worker)

Please help Ian Stillman Christian charity worker wrongly imprisoned in India (-member at my church).
All the details are at:

http://www.ianstillman.fsnet.co.uk/html/free_ian.html

Please download and post off the petition, with as many extra signatures as you can find please! at:

http://www.ianstillman.fsnet.co.uk/...ition_view.html

Thanks!

Any questions please e-mail me and I'll try and find out for you asap!

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Da Berkshire Massive.e-mail me @ abu_on_cross_rhythms@yahoo.co.uk

Hi! Thanks everyone!

Even if you can only pray where you are, everything you do will help set this guy free!

God Bless you all!

Da Berkshire Massive.

Ian Stillman- Urgent prayer needed.
Hi, I now have the proper info about Ian Stillman and
what is happening this week.

Please pray primarily that Ian will be granted an
appeal and also given bail asap and that a decision
from the Indian Supreme Court on an appeal and
therefore the granting of bail will not be left until
after the long summer recess.

Please pray also that the Indian Supreme Court will
give Ian the fair trial he has so far been denied
(through discrimination and corruption) and that the
judges will realise his innocence and his profound
deafness (not acknowledged by lower courts) and
disability which means he cannot possibly have carried
the 20kg of cannabis he is convicted of possessing and
rule in his favour.

Please pray that God will bring about a Not Guilty
verdict and will lead the Supreme Court, which is a
law making body to pass laws against the everyday
discrimination of disabled people in India (where they
are seen as cursed by God) in everyday life and
particularly in the Indian legal system.

Please also pray that Ian will once again recieve the
medical care he needs and that God will keep him
healthy.

Below are all the details on the latest going's on:

Free Ian Stillman - update

05 May 02


Hearing on 6 May - Medical stalemate - International
support


Hearing on 6 May
A routine phone call to Ian's lawyers in Delhi
revealed that the initial Supreme Court hearing will
be held next Monday, 6 May. This is vital as the Court
will decide whether to hear Ian's appeal or not. If
so, we understand they will give a date for the appeal
and decide whether to grant bail immediately or give a
date for a separate bail hearing (most likely).

The Indian lawyers are conferring how best to present
the case. Indira Jaising will present it on Monday.
Please pray for wisdom and for success! We have
requested the British High Commission to send an
official to observe proceedings, and Lennie or Sue
(Ian's son and wife) may be present.

Medical stalemate
There was a security clampdown at the jail last week
because some prisoners tried to escape. So Lennie had
little access to Ian. Follow-up visits to hospital and
dentist have been impossible. Medically there is
little progress. Some deaf friends have come up from
Delhi to see Ian and hope to visit on Saturday with
Lennie. Ian does not yet know about Monday's hearing!

International support
The petition signing is going really well - now nearly
15,000 and in many countries. If you live outside the
UK, please post completed forms back to the address in
Leeds, UK (on the bottom of the form) so they can be
totalled together. Do take forms into work, college,
school or to local shops where you think there may be
interest in Ian's case.

Caroline Spelman MP, the UK Shadow International
Development Secretary, raised Ian's case with the
British High Commission during a recent visit to
India. We are encouraged that so many MPs are
concerned. If you have received a letter from the UK
Foreign Office you are not happy with, then please do
write again expressing your concerns - it does appear
that individual letters count!

In York UK there was a 'Free Ian Stillman' church
service attended by 200. The York press carried a big
report (highlighting the support of the Archbishop)
and a long interview with Sue (by phone). Read these
at http//www.thisisyork.co.uk/york/news/stillman.html
A group in Northern Ireland is planning a similar
service.

Things are moving! Many thanks for your continuing
support


Background info

Ian Stillman(50) is a deaf, one-legged aid worker in
India with an international reputation.
He was recently unjustly sentenced in North India to
ten years for possessing drugs.
Sue is Ian’s wife and co-worker
Lennie is their son
Elspeth is Ian’s sister, married to Jerry
Nambikkai is the foundation for the deaf pioneered by
Ian & Sue
More news and action at www.ianstillman.fsnet.co.uk
Email
friends@ianstillman.fsnet.co. uk
Fax 00 44 1794 367576
(01794 367576 in UK)

Dear Everyone,

Well this is obviously meant to run and run. Once again - not the news that we expected. The Judge has refused to allow Ian's case to go to appeal at the Supreme Court. Our lawyer, Indira Jaisingh, pointed out all the contradictions and anomalies in the case - one of which could be enough to have the case dismissed - and also the fact that Ian is completely deaf and no provision was made for him. The judge said that the High Court had found Ian to be merely hard of hearing and not deaf and therefore the medical evidence proving his deafness was not necessary. He also said (and this is the really outrageous bit) - that it is apparently common knowledge that disabled people are often involved in drug trafficking and drug smuggling. (As we have obviously not yet seen the transcript, these are not on the record quotations - yet). Such comments are obviously going to create further controversy about the case. The lawyer also brought up the issue of Ian's character and credibility; this was also not accepted. He upheld the decision of the High Court and said they would not hear anything more about it. We were very pleased that the Consul from the British High Commission was able to be present to observe all this.

So where does that leave Ian and the family? The lawyers say that they have never seen anything like this and are going to discuss the next course of action over the next couple of days, to see how best to proceed. There may be a possibility of medical parole. Also there may be a constitutional point in that Ian could not take part in the original trial so therefore the Supreme Court may not have the right to refuse to hear it. All these are questions that will need to be discussed and thought through. It may not yet be the end of the road legally; the lawyers are suggesting there may be a route to go higher.

That's it so far - another disappointment. We hadn't had enough warning of this to get our hopes really high, but it still is a big set-back. This again was the 'worst-case scenario' that we didn't really expect. Ian of course will not know any of this yet, as Sue and Lennie were at the court today. Do pray for them all as they try to come to terms with this decision; it will not be easy for any of them as the last few months have been very difficult anyway. We will - needless to say - continue to fight this.

Thank you for all the thoughts, prayers and good wishes and for the ongoing support. We will keep you posted over the next few days.

Best wishes and in haste

Elspeth and Jerry