The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) has said it stands in solidarity with Indian Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy and all who support the rights of indigenous people. “It is with great shock and agony the FABC heard of the arrest of the 83-year-old Father Swamy and his incarceration and we are surprised at the charges brought against him,” Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, president of the FA-BC, said in a statement.
“The arrest and cold-hearted incarceration of Father Swamy reminds us of the treatment meted out to Mahatma Gandhi when he stood up for the rights of the Indian people.”
He said Father Swamy was following Gandhi’s non-violent path to realize his dream.
“The arrest is symptomatic of the treatment meted out to indigenous people in various parts of Asia,” Cardinal Bo said in an appeal on Oct. 26.