I am moving the list of european supporters to here otherwise her biography page gets clogged up with names of supporters The only support which matters is next year at election 2012 The experts say that Manipuris are backward and need to be educated about democracy The arab spring has taught the experts that it is the people who need to educate their political masters on what kind of democracy they want I hope Manipuris at last take the opportunity to free Sharmila and rid Manipur of the black law next year On 28 November 2010 UK Green Party leader and European Parliament member Keith Taylor wrote to the Indian government seeking the release of Sharmila and the repeal of the AFSPA Her main supporter in the European Union is Sir Graham Watson KB MEP chair of the India EU delegation of MEPs He has consistently made interventions on her behalf most recently to Dr J Bhagwati Indian Ambassador to the EU who responded on 1 July 2011 to his request to respond to the death threats made against Irom Sharmila Indian Ambassadors reference BRU AMB 48 2011 Embassy of India 1050 Brussels He responds only that he understands that Irom Sharmila is a hunger striker and that the modification of AF SP A is under consideration Previously in April 2011 Sri Graham Watson and the EU delegation had tried to visit Manipur but were not allowed to do so by the Indian Authorities They visit each year this year they were allowed to visit Delhi Patna and Mumbai Although Keith Taylor did write three letters on one occasion he has never responded to further input Sri Graham Watson and other members of the EU delegation do always respond to further requests for help For example a Dutch member of the India EU delegation Peter Van Dalen whose special interest group is Dalit and subaltern groups released this press statement for publication at the gathering at her tenth anniversary of fasting in November 2010 Smt Sharon Bowles MEP sent Sharmila a personal letter of support which is now with Sharmila She had added her personal regret that Sharmila was not nominated for the Sakharov last year due to insufficient support from other MEPs a nomination requires at least 40 MEP signatories This year s nominations close on 13 September 2010 Another MEP member of the EU India Delegation has stated that he does not believe Sharmila will be nominated this year either as very few MEPs know of her or Manipur The European MEPs were initially brought in by one of her Western campaigners Nicholas Crawford a philosophy student at Gonville Caius College Cambridge He also chairs a small student think tank The Wilberforce Society At the annual garden party Mr Crawford gave a speech about Irom Sharmila and the AFSPA in attendance was their patron Lord Wilson a former head of the civil service and Sir Christopher Hum former UK ambassador to China Before Xmas they hope to have a seminar on India and Human Rights And plan to visit Manipur and Sharmila next summer Sharmila has many letters from offices of Western Dignatories including those of HM Queen Elizabeth II The Duchess of Cornwall The President of Eire Tony Blair and most recently the Scottish First Minister and the Mayor of London all stating that they are sorry about her circumstances but are unable to offer her any assistance But she has always cared more about genuine letters seeking to make connections