'Fury in India over death of 84-year-old political prisoner Stan Swamy', 5 July 2021

... Father Stan Swamy, a priest and human rights activist who spent five decades fighting for the rights of the tribal community in the state of Jharkhand, was arrested in October 2020, charged under draconian terrorism laws and held in judicial custody. Despite Swamy’s weak condition from advanced Parkinson’s disease, which worsened after he contracted Covid-19 in prison last month, the courts repeatedly denied him pre-trial bail. On court orders, Swamy was eventually moved to hospital and put on a ventilator, but he died of cardiac arrest on Monday afternoon after Covid-19-related complications, a doctor told Bombay high court... Swamy’s lawyers accused prison staff of mistreating him in jail. In December they had to go to the courts to force the prisons to give him a sip cup, as his Parkinson’s meant he was unable to hold a glass of water in his hands and he was given no assistance...