Bhopal is not just a human rights tragedy from the last century. It is a human rights travesty today.
Shortly before midnight on 2 December 1984, thousands of tonnes of deadly chemicals leaked from Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, central India. Around half a million people were exposed. Between 7,000 and 10,000 people died in the immediate aftermath and a further 15,000 over the next 20 years.
On 2 December 2009, the people of Bhopal will mark the 25th anniversary of the devastating leak. Amnesty International will act in solidarity with the people of Bhopal and other organisations working to highlight the ongoing human rights impacts of the 1984 leak and to end 25 years of injustice.
As the factory site has not been cleaned up yet, more than 100,000 people in the area continue to suffer from health problems. Efforts to provide rehabilitation – both medical care and measures to address the socio-economic effects of the leak – have fallen far short of what is needed and victims still wait for the adequate compensation. The people of Bhopal have struggled to obtain even basic relief such as clean water. Over the past 25 years, the Indian government has shown its incapacity to deal with the issue as companies involved have evaded accountability and obstructed the efforts of victims to secure reparation.
Take Action now:
What can you do now?
Are you in India?
Join APYN friends at Vigils in India on 2 December 2009
Join APYN Orkut Group
Are you on Facebook?
Send a message to the Indian PM on Facebook (copy and paste the message below – or write your own!)
Post a Message on Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, on Facebook Fan Page
Sample Message: “Stop 25 years of injustice for the people of Bhopal. Set up the promised Empowered Commission on Bhopal. Clean up & rehabilitate survivors of chemical gas leak! Please meet survivor’s organizations to discuss and agree next steps for rehabilitation of the people and their families who have been affected. Also, please let us know when and what the next steps for the Empowered Commission will be. #Bhopal25 www.demanddignity.org ”
Change your status update to: Dec 2 call for Union Carbide & Indian govt to stop injustice #Bhopal25.
Join the Asia Pacific Youth Network: http://www.facebook.com/#/apyouth?ref=sgm
Are you on Twitter?
Use Twitter HashTags. By posting on your twitter account with the tags #Bhopal 25 or #Demanddignity, you may like to use: Dec 2 call for Union Carbide & Indian govt to stop injustice #Bhopal25.
Bhopal: 25 yrs of Injustice
On 2 December 2009, the people of Bhopal will mark the 25th anniversary of the devastating leak. Amnesty International is joining in solidarity to highlight the ongoing human rights impacts of the 1984 leak. Show your support: Apply the Twibbon. Visit http://twibbon.com/join/Bhopal-25-yrs-of-Injustice for more information.
And… you can sign online petitions :
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/bhopal-indian-government-must-end-25-years-injustice
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-chemical-company-address-legacy-bhopal