12th Case of Ian Stillman

A campaigner for the disabled in India, Ian Stillman has been locked up on drugs charges. His supporters dispute the claims and say his welfare is now a serious concern.

When the guilty verdict against Ian Stillman was delivered on 2 June, it was not only his family and friends who voiced disbelief.

According to his brother-in-law Jeremy Dugdale, Stillman's defence lawyers, other lawyers, his jailers and even some of the police were stunned at the conviction of a 50-year-old man who has devoted most of his life to charity.

Stillman, who is deaf and walks with an artificial limb, has now begun a 10-year jail sentence in a remote prison in northern India for drug smuggling. There are no special facilities for disabled people in the jail and he is said to be "isolated and vulnerable".

Kulu Superintendent of Police S Venu Gopal told Delhi-based media that Stillman had no hearing or speech impediments, implying that his handicap claim was a convenient cover for sinister activities. Venu Gopal's assertion, however, flies against the evidence made available in London by Stillman's father, a retired headmaster, to the British Foreign Office that his son has been stone deaf since the age of two.

The case has prompted stinging criticism from human rights campaigners, who believe it to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice they have seen.

Personal Details

Despite being British, Stillman has lived in India for almost 30 years, working tirelessly to raise awareness of issues affecting deaf people in the country. He has been profoundly deaf since the age of two after being given quinine as a treatment for a severe malaria attack while in Kenya with his parents.

In 1972, while studying industrial design in Guilford, Stillman travelled to India on a gap year and met his future wife Yesumani, or Sue.

Together they set up a registered Indian charity called the Nambikkai Foundation. The aim of the organisation, which remains active today, is to provide education, training and employment for the adult deaf.

More than 1,000 deaf trainees and 100 staff have benefited from the work of Nambikkai and the foundation has been officially recognised by the Indian government as a model project.

His work has earned him wide respect among Indian people and, as well as setting up several more charitable projects, he has helped advise a number of other good causes for deaf people.

Nine years ago, Stillman was the subject of a BBC documentary about his work.

In 1995 his right leg was amputated above the knee after he was involved in a motorcycle accident. Stillman returned to Britain for treatment and was fitted with an artificial leg.

Arrest And Trial

Stillman's persistent efforts for charity came to an abrupt halt last August when he was arrested while travelling in Himachal Pradesh, in the Kullu Valley.

Campaigners for Stillman say he was visiting the area to investigate new opportunities for his charitable work. While travelling in a taxi late at night he was stopped at a police roadblock, arrested and later he says, at the police station, shown a bag, which is alleged to have contained 20 kilos of cannabis.

Although Stillman can lip-read English and communicate in sign language, all the proceedings were conducted in Hindi, which is a foreign tongue to him. He says he was also coerced into signing statements in Hindi.

He was initially held at a local prison where inmates slept on the concrete floor, up to 35 to a cramped cell. Each cell was served by one toilet and conditions were cold because of the altitude.

The extent of Injustice

Despite the harsh surroundings, Stillman believed the evidence against him was weak and it was only a matter of time before he got off. Because of that he asked family and friends to keep quiet about his plight believing that any publicity might harm his charity.

Supporters say Stillman was refused access to a translator and he became the victim of the language barrier as all the witnesses were cross-examined in Hindi.

They also believe the weight of evidence favoured the defence - both independent witnesses called against Stillman denied the prosecution's case. Campaigners also say his whole defence was restricted to 20 minutes.

They believe that Stillman is innocent of all charges and has been fitted up as part of a drugs crackdown in the area.

Welfare Concerns

Until a few days ago, Stillman was being held in a high-security prison in Himachal Pradesh which, had no facilities for the physically disabled or for deaf inmates.

Visiting time was restricted to one 20-minute session per month and all written communication was heavily censored.

Under pressure from the British Foreign Office, Stillman has since been moved to a more modern jail in the same province. As yet, says Mr Dugdale, there is no word on whether this means better conditions.

Mr Dugdale, who has travelled from his home in Romsey, Hampshire, to India four times since the arrest, says there are now serious concerns for Stillman's health.

He has cut down on his food intake because it is so difficult to get to the toilet, he is suffering phantom pains in his leg (common with amputee victims) and this is aggravated by the severe cold, poor diet and stress. He is also suffering digestion problems, brought on by pain killers, and his artificial leg no longer works effectively. He is also finding sleep difficult, says Mr Dugdale, and manages no more than 15 minutes sleep at a time.

"He has not complained but that is because he is such an amazing character," says Mr Dugdale."

"But I know he is distressed. He just couldn't believe it when his conviction came through. It was such a shock."

Interpol Denies Charges Made

Interpol has denied the Kulu Superintendent of Police S Venu Gopal claim that it was holding classified information about links with the international drugs mafia and a dossier on his activities, including a 'very serious offence' committed in London, had been put together by Interpol.