Around a month before Father Stan Swamy died, Mary Lawlor, the UN rapporteur on human rights defenders, had written to the Modi government expressing concern over the inhumane prison conditions. Lawlor, in her June 11 letter, expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of 15 of the 16 accused in the Elgar Parishad case (one of the accused Varavara Rao was already granted bail). Father Stan Swamy had succumbed to Covid-19 while he was in custody. Taking to Twitter on August 12, Lawlor said that she had kept the letter private for 60 days. Mary Lawlor said she had given the Modi-led Indian government time to respond, however, the government had not yet acknowledged her letter. Father Stan Swamy breathed his last on July 5. Watch the video to know more.
