Frustration is growing in India over the treatment of jailed poet and human rights activist Varavara Rao, who has tested positive to coronavirus.
India's National Human Rights Commission has been forced to step in amid the outrage and order that the 80-year-old, who is said to be critically ill, be sent to a special facility for treatment.
Varavara Rao has been in prison since his arrest 2018. Source: The Indian Express
Who is Varavara Rao?
Mr Rao, who has long been an influential figure in India - famous for espousing radical ideas in his writing and as an ardent civil rights activist - was controversially imprisoned in 2018.
He, along with 10 other activists were arrested for allegedly inciting violence and being involved in a plot to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Rao has denied the claims, and while no charges have been formally brought against him, he has been consistently denied bail.
According to his family, his health has deteriorated in recent months whilst in a prison in the state of Maharashtra. Prisoners there are said to live in overcrowded and squalid conditions.
Supporters of Mr Rao became increasingly concerned for his safety as coronavirus case numbers surged in India, starting the hashtag #FreeVaravaraRao.
Following his COVID-19 diagnosis, India's National Human Rights Commission ordered Mr Rao not only to be moved to a medical facility from prison, but also said that expenses relating to his treatment must be paid for by the state.
The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor also weighed in on Mr Rao's case.
On Twitter, she said: "Now hearing that Varavara's condition is worsening and that he needs to be moved to a specialised facility."
Activists call for his release
Mr Rao has spent more than 10 years in prison over his lifetime - blamed for inciting violence, and hatching conspiracies to overthrow elected governments.
But his supporters argue there has never been any evidence to prove his involvement, and he has never been found guilty of any crimes.
In this most recent stint, Mr Rao and 10 other activists are being held under a specific anti-terrorism law which means obtaining bail is very rare.
Advocates from around the world have called for their release over the 22 months, including a consortium of more than 100 global intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky and Judith Butler.
There have been protests calling for Varavara Rao's release. Source: Hindustan Times
In a letter, they said Mr Rao and other activists have been imprisoned in "fabricated cases" and that they are vulnerable to infection in the "overcrowded Maharashtra prisons."
A group of contemporary Indian poets has also written a public statement demanding Mr Rao's release.
In the statement they said: "as young poets of this nation, we see the attack on Rao as an attack on all of us, our minds, our pens and our views."
