Washington, D.C. – April 23, 2025 The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation over the recent release of Mahendra Hembram, one of the individuals convicted in the brutal 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons. This heinous act—where the Staines family was burned alive while sleeping in their vehicle—shocked the conscience of the global community and remains a grim reminder of the perils of religious intolerance. Hembram’s release from Keonjhar Jail in Odisha, after serving just 25 years of his sentence on the grounds of “good behavior,” is both alarming and deeply troubling. While legal mechanisms provided to Odisha State Sentence Review Board may allow such decisions, this case warrants far greater scrutiny. The nature of the crime demands a firm and principled stance on justice, not leniency that diminishes the severity of the act. FIACONA views this release as a serious affront to justice, an insult to the memory of the Staines family, and a disturbing signal to the global community regarding the treatment of crimes rooted in religious hatred. The premature release of a perpetrator of such an egregious, premeditated act of violence undermines the