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Candle Light Vigil Observed for Anand Jon
New Delhi, January 30, 2008
| Legal Luminaries, Bollywood and Indian
fashion fraternity rally around beleaguered Anand Jon,
incarcerated in US prison without bail for over 8 months.
Mother and Sister of Fashion Designer Anand Jon call
for government intervention and support from the nation
and Indian Media in their fight for justice and fair trial
for their beleaguered son languishing for over seven
months in US prison under in human conditions. |
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People from all walks of life, including social celebrities,
film folks, legal luminaries, media, and fashion designers and
models today pledged their support to Anand Jon in his cry for
fair trial and justice. Some of the prominent names were
Majeed Memon , Mahesh Bhatt, Arti Surendranth, Shaina NC,
Rohit Bal, Vida Samadzai etc. In a special congregation held
at the Gateway of India, the gathered raised their voice of
support. Former Justice Krishna Iyer has also sent in a
written appeal to the US Government.
CITIZEN of INDIA UNLAWFULLY HELD WITHOUT BAIL on alleged
assault without any material evidence.
Shashi Abraham, (mother) and Sanjana Jon (sister) of renowned
fashion designer Anand Jon are currently in India seeking
support and help in fighting the fake and baseless cases
against their son in the US. (Refer attached case summary)
Anand Jon Alexander was arrested on March 6, 2007. He has a
distinguished record as a fashion designer and was recently
profiled in Newsweek. Some of his associates and models that
he was helping within the industry have banded together to
frame him for their own fame and fortune. From the time of his
arrest there have been human rights violations.
After 8 months of jail time by using technicalities and secret
grand juries denying the defendant the most basic right of a
preliminary hearing the prosecution has gridlocked him in a no
bail situation
Only a few weeks ago was the actual discovery turned over to
the defense counsel and what was as shocking as the
prosecutorial misconduct in the case is that:
1. They claim AJ is a fake designer. They claim the accusers
have no motives when their own discovery shows tremendous
financial motives, civil suits and media exposure.
2. They misled the grand jury that the accusers do not know
each other (and at best minimal communication) when in fact
their own discovery the girls admit to maximum communication
over years and admit exchanging scripts, company notes, hiring
private detectives, lawyers in extensive coercion to entrap AJ
and without any material evidence besides the hearsay and
testimonies of these models/actresses none of who have
anything close to a credible background.
The prosecution has locked up a citizen and one of the most
accomplished non-resident Indians in the world in a solitary
confined cell. This is the worst abuse of the justice system
in this century so far and incorporates every thing from
prosecutorial misconduct to racial bias.
Civil Rights Violated
In the case of Anand Jon his basic civil rights have been
violated across many levels. He has the appropriate working
(01) visas to be in the United States; however when he was
unfortunately arrested in March 2007 he was placed in an INS
hold by the police. They knew he was legal – they had all his
paperwork but kept him detained as long as they could. In
addition, they have placed a no bail hold on him while having
the same
complainants file charges in other jurisdictions in order to
trap him in a bureaucratic hold. He is simply not being
allowed to properly defend himself and prove his innocence.
Eight Amendment Rights
The 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees
a man the right to a fair and appropriate bail.
[Ref Def: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive
fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted]
Anand has not been treated fairly. Specifically, whereas Anand
has bail set both in CA ($2,095,000) and TX ($400,000), New
York State refused to set a bail. This is excessive for any
person, let alone a nonresident Indian in a foreign land. By
not giving Anand bail denies the right to properly defend
himself. Attached
to this letter you may find additional supporting
documentation related to this current situation.
Similar Violations
We believe that there are a number of other alleged victims in
the past within the Asian-Indian community facing similar
violations under similar circumstances for similar reasons; we
must involve the Indian community in a proactive effort along
with Indian government to fight for our rights.
Noted lawyer Majeed Memon has lent support to fight the case
in the US. Various celebrities from all walks of life
including film actors, fashion designers, politicians, youth
leaders, various associations and federations have come
forward to raise the issue at appropriate levels.
We request the media in India to look into the matter and
support us in our fight against injustice and for restoration
of liberty and basic civil rights to Anand Jon.
E-Mail :
newseditor@sarkaritel.com |
