New Delhi, Jan 4 - Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Friday that he would persuade the external affairs ministry to take up the case of Indian fashion designer Anand Jon, who faces sexual impropriety cases in the US.
Jon has been held in detention in Los Angeles since June 2007 after some 30 women in various American cities charged him with rape and molestation.
Speaking to reporters here, Ravi said from the multiplicity of new cases cropping up in New York and Florida it seemed that the designer is being 'framed'.
He said he has asked Jon's family to write another petition for assistance, which he would forward to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Jon's sister, Sanjana, currently in India to lobby support for her brother, claimed that he has been a victim of racism and jealousy.
His family had reportedly approached the minister for help last year after which Ravi had asked Indian diplomats in the US to provide consular help to the fashion designer.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Designer son Jon jailed in LA, mother comes to Delhi seeking government help
Express news service
New Delhi, January 5 six months after NRI designer Anand Jon was jailed in Los Angeles over multiple charges of sexual assault and molestation, his mother Shashi Abraham is now in the Capital to seek help from the Manmohan Singh government.
Citing the case of Mohammed Haneef — arrested on terror charges in Australia and later released following New Delhi’s intervention — Abraham said Jon is a victim of “professional rivalry” and “racial slur” because of his “meteoric rise to fame”.
Abraham is now trying to get an appointment with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Human Rights Association. She claims she did not get “assurance” from External Affairs Minister for State E Ahmad. “If the Indian government could come forward to help Dr Haneef when he was unjustly accused in Australia, why can they not do the same for my son?” Abraham asked.
“The whole thing started right after The Wall Street Journal evaluated his brand for $10 million,” Abraham claimed. “He was going places in an industry where not many Indians had made any breakthrough. I guess this is a conspiracy by his detractors to pull him down,” she said.
On Thursday, Abraham's daughter Sanjana had convened a press conference in Mumbai, announcing that they had enlisted the help of Mumbai-based lawyer Majeed Memon. “I am sure that if we get the opportunity of a fair trial we could prove that these complaints are baseless,” Sanjana said.
Known for dressing celebrities like Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul and Ivanka Trump and touted by Newsweek as the designer to watch out for in 2007, 33-year-old Jon’s fall from grace was pretty swift.
(Appeared in Indian Express)
New Delhi, January 5 six months after NRI designer Anand Jon was jailed in Los Angeles over multiple charges of sexual assault and molestation, his mother Shashi Abraham is now in the Capital to seek help from the Manmohan Singh government.
Citing the case of Mohammed Haneef — arrested on terror charges in Australia and later released following New Delhi’s intervention — Abraham said Jon is a victim of “professional rivalry” and “racial slur” because of his “meteoric rise to fame”.
Abraham is now trying to get an appointment with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Human Rights Association. She claims she did not get “assurance” from External Affairs Minister for State E Ahmad. “If the Indian government could come forward to help Dr Haneef when he was unjustly accused in Australia, why can they not do the same for my son?” Abraham asked.
“The whole thing started right after The Wall Street Journal evaluated his brand for $10 million,” Abraham claimed. “He was going places in an industry where not many Indians had made any breakthrough. I guess this is a conspiracy by his detractors to pull him down,” she said.
On Thursday, Abraham's daughter Sanjana had convened a press conference in Mumbai, announcing that they had enlisted the help of Mumbai-based lawyer Majeed Memon. “I am sure that if we get the opportunity of a fair trial we could prove that these complaints are baseless,” Sanjana said.
Known for dressing celebrities like Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul and Ivanka Trump and touted by Newsweek as the designer to watch out for in 2007, 33-year-old Jon’s fall from grace was pretty swift.
(Appeared in Indian Express)
Anand Jon's sister seeks India's help
Indian designer Anand Jon, who faces a slew of charges related to sexual assault and molestation in the US, is a victim of racism and jealousy, his sister alleged on Wednesday.
"This demonisation is happening because he broke into an industry where Americans find difficult to break into," claimed Sanjana, Anand's younger sister.
Jon, an Indian citizen jailed in Los Angeles since June 2007, is facing charges of rape and molestation from 30 women in several American states.
According to Sanjana, the complaints started pouring in after the Wall Street valued his brand name at $10 million. She rubbished the entire sequence of events as illogical because the number of alleged victims continued to grow.
"After the valuation, his company started attracting more investments. Some of these complaints date back to five years. Why did these girls not file complaints immediately?" Sanjana told IANS, fighting back her tears.
The first complaint was filed on March 6, 2007, when Anand was planning to launch his denim line in association with a company called Genisis.
Jon's lawyer Majid Memon also felt there was a possibility that Anand's phenomenal success raised a few eyebrows.
"Jon's rivals could not digest his financial independence and his success, especially as he was an Indian. It is a well-planned conspiracy against him," Memon told IANS. He is planning to leave for the US soon to secure Jon's release.
He dubbed some of the complaints as ridiculous and absurd. He said there was no medical evidence of sexual assault in any of the cases.
Sanjana is seeking help of the Indian government in defending her brother and wants to create public awareness about her brother's plight as she thinks he has been unfairly targeted.
(Article appeared in Hindustan Times)
"This demonisation is happening because he broke into an industry where Americans find difficult to break into," claimed Sanjana, Anand's younger sister.
Jon, an Indian citizen jailed in Los Angeles since June 2007, is facing charges of rape and molestation from 30 women in several American states.
According to Sanjana, the complaints started pouring in after the Wall Street valued his brand name at $10 million. She rubbished the entire sequence of events as illogical because the number of alleged victims continued to grow.
"After the valuation, his company started attracting more investments. Some of these complaints date back to five years. Why did these girls not file complaints immediately?" Sanjana told IANS, fighting back her tears.
The first complaint was filed on March 6, 2007, when Anand was planning to launch his denim line in association with a company called Genisis.
Jon's lawyer Majid Memon also felt there was a possibility that Anand's phenomenal success raised a few eyebrows.
"Jon's rivals could not digest his financial independence and his success, especially as he was an Indian. It is a well-planned conspiracy against him," Memon told IANS. He is planning to leave for the US soon to secure Jon's release.
He dubbed some of the complaints as ridiculous and absurd. He said there was no medical evidence of sexual assault in any of the cases.
Sanjana is seeking help of the Indian government in defending her brother and wants to create public awareness about her brother's plight as she thinks he has been unfairly targeted.
(Article appeared in Hindustan Times)
Friday, January 4, 2008
Vayalar Ravi to pursue Anand Jon's case
New Delhi, Jan 4 - Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Friday that he would persuade the external affairs ministry to take up the case of Indian fashion designer Anand Jon, who faces sexual impropriety cases in the US.
Jon has been held in detention in Los Angeles since June 2007 after some 30 women in various American cities charged him with rape and molestation.
Speaking to reporters here, Ravi said from the multiplicity of new cases cropping up in New York and Florida it seemed that the designer is being 'framed'.
He said he has asked Jon's family to write another petition for assistance, which he would forward to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Jon's sister, Sanjana, currently in India to lobby support for her brother, claimed that he has been a victim of racism and jealousy.
His family had reportedly approached the minister for help last year after which Ravi had asked Indian diplomats in the US to provide consular help to the fashion designer.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
Jon has been held in detention in Los Angeles since June 2007 after some 30 women in various American cities charged him with rape and molestation.
Speaking to reporters here, Ravi said from the multiplicity of new cases cropping up in New York and Florida it seemed that the designer is being 'framed'.
He said he has asked Jon's family to write another petition for assistance, which he would forward to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Jon's sister, Sanjana, currently in India to lobby support for her brother, claimed that he has been a victim of racism and jealousy.
His family had reportedly approached the minister for help last year after which Ravi had asked Indian diplomats in the US to provide consular help to the fashion designer.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Fashion designer's kin fire back at rape accusers
BY ANN GIVENS | ann.givens@newsday.com
Anand Jon, the Long Island fashion designer who was called a person to watch in Newsweek's "Who's Next 2007" issue last year, has become famous for all the wrong reasons since that electrifying prediction.
The self-described playboy, once known for walking the red carpet with hordes of beautiful women in tow, has been accused of being a serial rapist, with nearly 30 aspiring models in three states accusing him of taking advantage of their naiveté to force them into unwanted sex.
But Jon's supporters, who last week got their first glimpse of many of the case's details when new court papers were released in California, have come back swinging. They say many of the women who are accusing Jon, 33, took pains to remain in his company even after the alleged attacks - dining with him, modeling for him, even traveling from state to state by his side.
"We are just confused," said Jon's sister Sanjana Jon, who lived with her brother before his arrest and is one of his closest confidantes. "Why would you keep following the person around if you are being violated by him?"
Spokeswomen for the Manhattan and Los Angeles district attorney's offices would not comment on the details of the case, or on Jon's relationship to his accusers.
But Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney for one of the women who says Jon raped her, said it's a mistake to blame the women for their behavior.
"That's an old script, and I'm sure in the case of many women it's not justified," she said. She said her client, Natalie Pack, 29, broke ties with Jon after she was raped. She has asked to be named to encourage other rape victims to come forward.
Jon, who has dressed VIPs from rock star Prince to Prince Michel of Yugoslavia, according to his Web site, is being held in Los Angeles on $2.1 million bail. He faces nearly 100 felony and misdemeanor rape and other sex crime charges relating to nearly 30 women in New York, California and Texas.
Prosecutors say Jon forced numerous women, who ranged in age from 14 to 23, to have sex with him in exchange for the chance to be photographed in his designs, appear with him on the red carpet or wear his clothes on the runway. Most of the women were not professional models, but aspiring ones, Sanjana Jon said. All hoped to be discovered, she said.
Sanjana Jon said one paid her own way to travel with Jon after she said she was attacked, and another tried on clothes at his Manhattan apartment.
"They're relying on the quantity of witnesses, not the quality of evidence," said William Petrillo of Rockville Centre, Jon's New York attorney. "That's the exact opposite of what the judge will instruct a jury to do."
Anand Jon, the Long Island fashion designer who was called a person to watch in Newsweek's "Who's Next 2007" issue last year, has become famous for all the wrong reasons since that electrifying prediction.
The self-described playboy, once known for walking the red carpet with hordes of beautiful women in tow, has been accused of being a serial rapist, with nearly 30 aspiring models in three states accusing him of taking advantage of their naiveté to force them into unwanted sex.
But Jon's supporters, who last week got their first glimpse of many of the case's details when new court papers were released in California, have come back swinging. They say many of the women who are accusing Jon, 33, took pains to remain in his company even after the alleged attacks - dining with him, modeling for him, even traveling from state to state by his side.
"We are just confused," said Jon's sister Sanjana Jon, who lived with her brother before his arrest and is one of his closest confidantes. "Why would you keep following the person around if you are being violated by him?"
Spokeswomen for the Manhattan and Los Angeles district attorney's offices would not comment on the details of the case, or on Jon's relationship to his accusers.
But Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney for one of the women who says Jon raped her, said it's a mistake to blame the women for their behavior.
"That's an old script, and I'm sure in the case of many women it's not justified," she said. She said her client, Natalie Pack, 29, broke ties with Jon after she was raped. She has asked to be named to encourage other rape victims to come forward.
Jon, who has dressed VIPs from rock star Prince to Prince Michel of Yugoslavia, according to his Web site, is being held in Los Angeles on $2.1 million bail. He faces nearly 100 felony and misdemeanor rape and other sex crime charges relating to nearly 30 women in New York, California and Texas.
Prosecutors say Jon forced numerous women, who ranged in age from 14 to 23, to have sex with him in exchange for the chance to be photographed in his designs, appear with him on the red carpet or wear his clothes on the runway. Most of the women were not professional models, but aspiring ones, Sanjana Jon said. All hoped to be discovered, she said.
Sanjana Jon said one paid her own way to travel with Jon after she said she was attacked, and another tried on clothes at his Manhattan apartment.
"They're relying on the quantity of witnesses, not the quality of evidence," said William Petrillo of Rockville Centre, Jon's New York attorney. "That's the exact opposite of what the judge will instruct a jury to do."
Majeed Memon has an overseas assignment
Mumbai: Fashion designer Anand Jon, whos is facing various charges related to sexual assault and molestation in US, is being targetted and is a victim of racism and jealousy due to the success he has achieved in the fashion industry, his sister alleged on Wednesday.
Sanjana Jon, who is in Mumbai to seek support from Indians, said that her brother was being demonised because he achieved success in fashion industry which even Americans could not achieve. Acording to her, all the charges against her brother have been fabricated.
Jon, an Indian citizen was arrested on March 6, released on bail and later rearrested. He is jailed in Los Angeles and is charged with over 40 counts of rape and molestation, in cases filed by 30 women from several American states.
Sanjana alleged that all the cases were lodged after the Wall Street valued his brand name at $10 million (Rs 39.5 crore) and announced an investment of about $15 million in his company, Jeanisis.
Sanjana has appointed, Majeed Memon, a noted criminal lawyer to fight her brother's case. Memom would be flying to the US by the end of this month to defend Anad Jon, who is facing rape and molestation charges.
Rubbishing some of the complaints against Anand, Memom said that there were no medical evidence of sexual assault in the cases. He further added that Anand has been accused of raping a woman but when it was checked, it was found that the victim said to the police that the alleged rape happened a year ago. He said that there are many such baseless charges filed against Anand Jon.
The lawyer that he would be placing the matter before the Prime Minister's office and the External Affairs Ministry to bring some pressure on the US so that Jon could have a free and fair trail. The lawyer would also appeal to the international human rights commission to get Anand justice.
Sanjana Jon, who is in Mumbai to seek support from Indians, said that her brother was being demonised because he achieved success in fashion industry which even Americans could not achieve. Acording to her, all the charges against her brother have been fabricated.
Jon, an Indian citizen was arrested on March 6, released on bail and later rearrested. He is jailed in Los Angeles and is charged with over 40 counts of rape and molestation, in cases filed by 30 women from several American states.
Sanjana alleged that all the cases were lodged after the Wall Street valued his brand name at $10 million (Rs 39.5 crore) and announced an investment of about $15 million in his company, Jeanisis.
Sanjana has appointed, Majeed Memon, a noted criminal lawyer to fight her brother's case. Memom would be flying to the US by the end of this month to defend Anad Jon, who is facing rape and molestation charges.
Rubbishing some of the complaints against Anand, Memom said that there were no medical evidence of sexual assault in the cases. He further added that Anand has been accused of raping a woman but when it was checked, it was found that the victim said to the police that the alleged rape happened a year ago. He said that there are many such baseless charges filed against Anand Jon.
The lawyer that he would be placing the matter before the Prime Minister's office and the External Affairs Ministry to bring some pressure on the US so that Jon could have a free and fair trail. The lawyer would also appeal to the international human rights commission to get Anand justice.
Anand Jon demonised for his success: Sister
Press Trust of India
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 (Mumbai)
Indian designer Anand Jon, who is facing a slew of charges related to sexual assault and molestation in United States, was ''being demonised'' because of his success in the American fashion industry, his sister alleged in Mumbai on Wednesday.
''This demonisation is (happening) because he broke into an industry where Americans find difficult to break into..'' said Sanjana Jon, his US-based sister.
Jon, an Indian citizen, is facing complaints of either rape or molestation from 30 women in several states of the US. Since June this year, he has been in jail in Los Angeles.
''All these complaints started coming after Anand's company got funded... Some of them date back to five years. Why these girls did not file complaints immediately?'' Sanjana said, fighting back tears.
According to her, when the first of these complaints was filed on March 6 this year, Anand was about to launch his denim line in association with a company called Genisis.
Her lawyer Majid Memon too said there was a possibility that ''Anand's phenomenal success raised a few eyebrows..they could not digest it'' and ''connived'' to implicate him in false cases.
''Racial discrimination could be a factor,'' he added.
Dubbing some of the complaints as ''ridiculous and absurd'' Memon said there was no medical evidence of sexual assault in any of the cases.
Sanjana said complaints made no sense because the complainants continued to go around with Anand after the alleged incidents.
''Some of them came to India with us after the incident's date...Does this make sense?'' she said.
Asked what help she expects from Indian government, she said she merely wanted to create awareness about her brother's predicament through the Indian media.
Advocate Memon -- who is also a member of Nationalist Congress Party -- added that they would be approaching the Prime Minister's Office in this regard.
(Appeared in NTDV.com)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 (Mumbai)
Indian designer Anand Jon, who is facing a slew of charges related to sexual assault and molestation in United States, was ''being demonised'' because of his success in the American fashion industry, his sister alleged in Mumbai on Wednesday.
''This demonisation is (happening) because he broke into an industry where Americans find difficult to break into..'' said Sanjana Jon, his US-based sister.
Jon, an Indian citizen, is facing complaints of either rape or molestation from 30 women in several states of the US. Since June this year, he has been in jail in Los Angeles.
''All these complaints started coming after Anand's company got funded... Some of them date back to five years. Why these girls did not file complaints immediately?'' Sanjana said, fighting back tears.
According to her, when the first of these complaints was filed on March 6 this year, Anand was about to launch his denim line in association with a company called Genisis.
Her lawyer Majid Memon too said there was a possibility that ''Anand's phenomenal success raised a few eyebrows..they could not digest it'' and ''connived'' to implicate him in false cases.
''Racial discrimination could be a factor,'' he added.
Dubbing some of the complaints as ''ridiculous and absurd'' Memon said there was no medical evidence of sexual assault in any of the cases.
Sanjana said complaints made no sense because the complainants continued to go around with Anand after the alleged incidents.
''Some of them came to India with us after the incident's date...Does this make sense?'' she said.
Asked what help she expects from Indian government, she said she merely wanted to create awareness about her brother's predicament through the Indian media.
Advocate Memon -- who is also a member of Nationalist Congress Party -- added that they would be approaching the Prime Minister's Office in this regard.
(Appeared in NTDV.com)
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