SANAL EDAMARUKU FREE AND BACK HOME IN FINLAND

Warsaw / Helsinki, 9 September 2025— Indian author and prominent rationalist Sanal Edamaruku has been released from “pre-trial temporary detention” in Poland, where he had been held for five months under an Interpol Red Notice issued by the Alappuzha District Court in Kerala state in India. He was arrested at the Warsaw Modlin airport on 28th March 2025, while arriving to speak at an international Human Rights conference in Warsaw.  

The Kerala High Court’s order stayed the arrest warrant, a decision that finally cleared the way for his freedom. Subsequently, the request to extradite to India was also withdrawn by the Government of India. Finally back at home in Finland, Sanal Edamaruku expressed gratitude:

“This has been a difficult period — not just for me, but for my family and supporters worldwide. I am deeply grateful to those who stood by me during these months of detention. This ordeal was never about a financial dispute. It has been engineered by those who have long opposed my work and my voice. The legal battle is far from over, but I draw strength from the solidarity shown to me. It reinforces my lifelong belief that truth and reason must always prevail over intimidation and fear.”

The arrest warrant was issued after Edamaruku did not appear in court — a failure because the summons was sent to the wrong address in Kerala. The Alappuzha police claimed that they searched extensively all over the world but were unable to locate his whereabouts.  It was publicly known that he had been residing in Finland since 2012.

Granddaughter Saanchi welcomes Sanal Edamaruku at the Helsinki airport.​

 The complainant also filed the identical case in Finland, where Edamaruku resides. Believing the Indian proceedings would be closed once the Finnish case was taken up, he assumed the matter had been resolved. Instead, the complainant pursued it in both countries, resulting in a situation of double jeopardy, contrary to fundamental legal principles.

Despite the Kerala High Court’s order staying the Interpol Red Notice issued by the Alappuzha District Court, bureaucratic delays and deliberate obstruction at local levels in Kerala prevented the swift withdrawal of the extradition request. These delays prolonged Edamaruku’s detention in Poland, even after he had secured legal relief in India. With the eventual withdrawal of India’s extradition request, he was finally able to walk free.

Throughout his life, Edamaruku has worked fearlessly to expose superstition and so-called “miracles”, making him a target of state and non-state actors intent on silencing him. The misuse of a simple financial dispute to orchestrate an international arrest illustrates the dangers of weaponising legal systems against dissenting voices.