Lakireddy Bali Reddy Denied Early Release

Press Release

ASATA, Maitri, and South Asian Sisters

For Immediate Release

Monday 22^nd May 2006

Lakireddy Bali Reddy denied early release.

Judge Claudia Wilkens reinstated the sentence of Lakireddy Bali Reddy, and all the conditions of release after the completion of 97 months was reinstated. This was a huge victory for community organizations, who have been working on the case for the past six years, and have put in tremendous effort to educate the community about the heinous crimes committed by Lakireddy Bali Reddy.

The courtroom was filled with Lakireddy’s supporters, and advocates for his victims. The U.S Attorney's office had recommended reinstating the sentence based on the probation report. Defense attorney Ted Cassmen minimized the trauma experienced by the victims, arguing that the emotional trauma was not that extreme, and what victims experienced was not more than one may expect when a crime of this nature is committed. The defense lawyers also downplayed the role played by Reddy in the obstruction of justice. Instead, he argued, if any obstruction of justice was done, it was by the translator Uma Rao.

Anirvan Chatterjee from the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action was relieved at the conclusion of the hearing. “We’re happy with the outcome,” he said. “Justice for Reddy’s victims has been slow to arrive, but this verdict sends the message that expensive lawyers can’t erase exploitation.”

Says Mukta Sharangpani from Maitri, “In addressing cases such as this one, one must look at the systemic inequalities that make possible such situations. These conditions give rise to an economic desperation which compels families to make incredibly hard choices, and young girls to look upon their abusers as their protectors.”

Leena Kamat from South Asian Sisters highlighted the exploitation inherent in Reddy’s action. “This case involved a mix of the worst kinds of exploitation, involving gender, caste, immigration status, and age discrimination. It was disappointing that more attention was not brought to this case in the community. It would have been a travesty if the sentencing was reduced over the claims given.”

In March of 2001, the U.S. Federal Court found Lakireddy Bali Reddy (owner of Pasand Restaurant in Berkeley and Santa Clara) guilty on counts of bringing undocumented immigrants to the U.S. for immoral sexual purposes. Since 1986 Reddy has brought many undocumented immigrants to the United States to have sex with him and to work for little or no pay in his many businesses and apartments. Reddy in a plea bargain arrangement pled guilty to charges of trafficking of girls for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual activity, of conspiracy, and of fraud and received a relatively light sentence. Specifically, Reddy admitted to a Federal Court that he illegally brought into the U.S. girls under the age of 16, including a girl as young as 13, for unlawful sex. All his victims were minors at the time they were brought into United States. Besides being culturally and socially isolated, they were also sexually abused.

Reddy put his victims in a situation where for many years they were unable to learn their rights and did not realize what freedom meant. This is not because such sexual predation is culturally acceptable in India. The victims and survivors on this case were scared of Reddy’s power and they were unaware of how American law could protect them. We cannot speak on behalf of the victims, but as community members, we feel that an early release is re-victimizing the victim, and while his business continues to thrive and he continues to be respected in the general Indian community, there has been no remorse for his actions.

Trafficking in children and women is unfortunately a familiar reality in many parts of the world. This crime steals children and women from their families, and subjects them to physical and emotional abuse. According to a Congressional Research Service report for Congress trafficking of people for prostitution and forced labor is one of the fastest growing areas of international criminal activity. An estimated 1 to 2 million people are trafficked each year worldwide; with as many as 50,000 to the United States. An overwhelming majority of those trafficked are women and children.

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ASATA, the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, works to educate, organize, and empower the Bay Area South Asian communities to end violence, oppression, racism and exploitation. ASATA was founded around the Reddy case in 2000, and has been a visible force at his hearings, standing in solidarity with the victims in the case, while engaging in community outreach and advocacy. You can find out more about ASATA and its work online at www.asata.org.

Maitri is a free, confidential, nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which helps South Asian women facing domestic violence, emotional abuse or family conflict. We provide peer support and referrals to legal help, emergency shelters and counselors. You can reach the Maitri hotline at 888 8-MAITRI; you can also call our office at 408 436-8393. Our email address is maitri@maitri.org and our website is www.maitri.org

South Asian Sisters is a diverse collective of progressive South Asian women dedicated to empowering our community to resist all forms of oppression through art, dialogue, conscious alliances, and grassroots political action. We are dedicated to organizing “Yoni ki Baat,” an annual performance that encourages women to speak out against violence and end the stigma around our bodies and our sexualities. You can find out more about the group at www.sasisters.org.

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