Please help us get Justice for Narges!

Dear Supporters of Narges Ashtari, As you may have noticed, the controller of the petition has been changed to myself, Erica Perry, instead of Narges. Narges is very busy preparing for her appeal and is also quite upset over what has transpired so we felt it best for her to let us handle the social media. On December 5, 2016, Narges was convicted of manslaughter in the local court of Rayagada. She has been sentenced to one year in jail and fined $4,300. She was released on bail, thankfully, but this same corrupt district will be hearing her appeal on January 5. If they deny her appeal, she will go to prison. We need to act fast. Narges is not asking to be acquitted or have her case dismissed. She is simply asking for a fair trial. In most countries, situations like this require the court case be moved to a higher court or a different district to avoid conflict of interest. Narges appeal has been sent to a higher court, but it is still in the same corrupt district of Rayagada. To get an idea of the corruption and bias: - The couple who Narges reported for fraud and corruption are close friends with the Police Chief of Rayagada. - The parents of the boy who went missing at the picnic are also seen in photos with the above mentioned couple and the Police Chief. - The police have not once questioned Narges about what happened at the picnic that day. - The police have asked Narges for bribes. - Narges' coworker Raju Gupta was also initially charged in this case, only to have these charges dropped. More proof that it is only about getting money from Narges! - A local reporter has written biased stories in the papers about Narges; this same reporter is also close to the Police Chief. - The judge hearing the case cried when the mother of the missing child testified. Does that sound like an impartial judge to you? - Even the person who agreed to free Narges on bail has received death threats. - The local people are too scared to speak up fearing their own safety will be put at risk. Please join the Facebook group "Justice for Narges". There is plenty more information about Narges story and ideas about how you can help. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1344892435535678/ We are also requesting our supporters to tweet Sushma Swaraj. She is the Minister of External Affairs in India. Her Twitter can be found here: https://twitter.com/sushmaswaraj Please also tweet to Mr. Zarif. He is the Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran https://twitter.com/JZarif You can also tweet Boris Johnson. He is the British Minister of Foreign Affairs. https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson When on twitter, Facebook or any social media, please use the hashtags: #helpnarges #nargesashtari If we can get Narges name to trend on social media, we can help bring attention to this injustice. We need to come together and have our voices heard. If even half the people who have signed this petition tweet and Facebook these hashtags, Narges story would surely go viral. Other ways you can help: - Organize a protest at your local Consulate of India. - Call local and international media and ask them to cover this story. - Send letters to Indian officials Please also continue to share this petition and Narges story. We must fight for her freedom. She is not just facing a year in jail; the conditions in Indian jails is very bad. As a foreign woman who has exposed local corruption, she is facing even more danger. Please help us fight for Justice for Narges!