Human rights and coastal zone activist Ossie Fernandes passes away

Ossie Fernandes, a well-known name in human rights, coastal and fishermen issues passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was 58 years. He is survived by his wife Halcyon and son Carl, a bass guitarist.

He was a staunch supporter of fishermen’s rights and actively campaigned against any coastal project that would affect their lives, through the Coastal Action network (CAN). He raised objections to any proposal from hotel groups or power plants wanting to put up projects along the coast, saying such a move would affect the livelihood of fishermen. He petitioned the Supreme Court, challenging the environment assessment report on the Sethusamudram Shipping Project. He was interested in studying police reforms.

He was also Founder of the Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation. Fernandes’ last rites are on Wednesday.