[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15844-15845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                           FREEDOM OF SPEECH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Franks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment of our 
Constitution gives us this precious freedom of speech that we so 
cherish in America. Contrary to heated debate and public opinion, we, 
in the United States, rarely face the kind of persecution that 
necessitated this great protection. So I rise today to shed light on 
the abridgement of freedom of speech that is often widely discussed, 
but that few Americans ever have to endure.
  Across the world, Mr. Speaker, individual freedom of speech is 
frequently infringed. A posted critique or just sharing one's views 
freely on the internet can be punishable, even by death.
  Late one evening in September, a well-known Indian journalist, Gauri 
Lankesh, was murdered outside her home. She was ``an anti-establishment 
figure with a reputation for her fearless criticism of undemocratic 
elements within the parties in power.'' The circumstances of her death 
were ``strikingly similar'' to the murders of three additional Indian 
activists.
  Just weeks ago, another of India's most prominent political 
journalists, Professor Kancha Ilaiah, known for critiquing India's 
caste social order, was threatened by a Hindu member of India's 
parliament. This member of parliament, who is an ally of the current 
BJP government, issued a statement that Kancha should be ``publicly 
hanged.'' Kancha subsequently received numerous death threats.
  These threats had a significant effect. A mob tried to attack 
Professor Ilaiah with stones as he and a coworker were driving to a 
meeting. Kancha is now under self-imposed house arrest because he is 
simply not safe otherwise.
  Was Professor Ilaiah's crime significant?
  Kancha was called a modern-day Dr. Ambedkar, who is known as the 
``Father of the Indian Constitution,'' and Professor Ilaiah's crime was 
he was the author of ``Why I am Not a Hindu.''
  A recent translation of his 2009 book ``Post-Hindu India'' is what 
seems to have sparked the threats against him. This book described the 
polarized context of modern-day India specifically dealing with the 
productivity of the Dalits and the ``low'' castes and the seeming 
spiritual and monetary monopoly of the ``higher'' castes. These 
critiques became even more relevant in India's growing agrarian crisis, 
the resulting farmer suicides due to hopelessness, and the massive 
joblessness due to demonetization and economic slowdown.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand on the floor of the United States House of 
Representatives to state unequivocally that the

[[Page 15845]]

United States and the entire global community is, and should be, deeply 
concerned about this threat to the life of Professor Kancha Ilaiah, one 
of the world's well-known intellectuals.
  Our trusted ally and friend, India, is better than this, Mr. Speaker. 
Professor Kancha Ilaiah's right and freedom to speak should not be 
infringed; and his protection, and that of those like him, should be of 
the utmost priority to the Indian Government. I am able to express 
freely this viewpoint because we have freedom of speech in the United 
States of America, Mr. Speaker. May we remember at what cost and for 
what purpose we were given this priceless freedom.

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