IAN Stillman is a remarkable man. Life has dealt him a series of shattering blows, yet he has never dwelled on his own misfortune. Instead he has devoted his life to helping those whose troubles are greater than his own.

Mr Stillman is profoundly deaf. He lost a leg in a road accident. One of his children is autistic. Yet, through all his troubles, his resilience and determination to be a force for good never wavered.

But today, Mr Stillman's inner resources must be running very low. Today is his 575th day in an Indian jail, the result of what Fair Trials Abroad director Stephen Jakobi calls "the worst miscarriage of justice I have dealt with".

He is not overstating the case. Mr Stillman has been treated scandalously.

There was no evidence to connect him with the cannabis found in a taxi he was travelling in.

His trial was a grim farce: he could not hear the case against him, nor read the documentation. Shockingly, the judge did not even believe Mr Stillman was deaf.

This is an outrageous miscarriage of justice. So it is disheartening to hear the Government refuse to comment on "whether his trial was fair or not".

If the Foreign Secretary had challenged his Indian counterpart to justify the court's behaviour, more progress might have been made towards freeing Mr Stillman.

We believe the British and Indian authorities could to do much more on his behalf.

That is why we have launched today's campaign, and why we need your support.

The more people who sign our petition, the greater pressure we can bring to bear.

Unfortunately for Mr Stillman, he is a middle-aged disabled man, rather than a young, photogenic woman like Louise Woodward.

She was convicted of killing a baby in America but freed soon afterwards after a massive, national campaign.

He may never attract that sort of publicity. But if Mr Stillman receives the wholehearted backing of his home city, it will make a difference.

Please help us to free Ian Stillman.

Updated: 12:28 Thursday, March 28, 2002