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Earlier this week thousands of Sikhs held candle
lit vigils in over 100 cities worldwide to call
for an immediate end to the death penalty in India
and for the release of all Sikh political prisoners
held in Indian jails. An estimated four hundred
are on death row in India and Sikh political prisoners
could run to many thousands.
The Sikh Federation (UK), a non governmental organisation
set up two years ago and often described as the
first and only Sikh political party in the UK
was the inspiration behind the vigils across the
globe. The response of Sikhs, particularly the
younger generation, in different towns and cities
in the UK, Canada, USA, Europe and India reflects
the ever increasing importance of the Federation
in not only the UK but throughout the Sikh Diaspora.
The Federation has demonstrated its influence
is not only within the international Sikh community,
but extends to politicians of all political parties
in the UK and Europe. In London politicians from
each of the main political parties joined Sikhs
outside the Houses of Parliament and lit candles
to show their support and hundreds of Sikhs also
protested outside the European Parliament in Brussels.
The worldwide vigils took place to coincide with
the 11th anniversary of one of the most controversial
and highest profile death penalty cases in recent
Indian history. 11 years earlier Professor Davinderpal
Singh Bhullar, a Sikh political activist, was
illegally deported from Germany. Davinderpal Singh
was handed over to the Indian authorities on the
basis that he had nothing to fear on his return
to India.
For 11 years Davinderpal Singh has been behind
bars trying to come to terms with the mistake
by the German authorities and knowing he could
be taken to the gallows at any time. He was arrested
and put in prison as soon as he landed in Delhi,
tortured to obtain a false confession, charged
and sentenced in August 2001 to death by hanging
for a crime he did not commit.
When Germany deported Davinderpal Singh to a death-penalty
prone country it violated the European Convention
on Human Rights. After his deportation, the court
of appeal in Frankfurt allowed his appeal and
said that he should not have been deported as
he would face torture, harassment and death in
India and were he to re-enter Germany he would
be given asylum.
The verdict of the court of appeal in Germany
came too late for Davinderpal Singh. The Sikh
Federation is successfully arguing that it has
left Germany and the EU with a moral obligation
to ensure the threat of the death penalty by India
is removed and Davinderpal Singh and other political
prisoners that are unnecessarily being held, either
without trial or under false charges and without
evidence, are released immediately.
As a direct result of the candle lit vigils British
MPs have now tabled motions in Parliament and
UK MEPs have promised a Written Declaration in
the European Parliament. One of the motions in
the UK Parliament relates to the case of Professor
Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and is urging the UK
Government to do all it can in conjunction with
the German Government and the European Union in
making representations to the Indian authorities.
The second motion in Parliament asks the UK Government
to publicly condemn the recent actions of the
Indian Police in Kashipur, Utteranchal and violent
attacks on Sikhs in various locations in Panjab.
The extensive interest generated by the vigils
resulted in the Indian High Commission in London
taking a defensive position on both the death
penalty - claiming executions are rare and asserting
there were no political prisoners. The latter
received an immediate response from UK politicians
who say the Indian position is a lie and absurd
as the UK Foreign Office has confirmed that 70%
of all prisoners in Indian jails are held without
trial with some in prison for more than thirty
years. Rob Marris MP, the Chair of the All Party
Parliamentary Group for UK Sikhs, set up last
July following pressure by the Sikh Federation,
upon hearing the views of the Indian High Commission
said: "how do you describe prisoners that
are held for many years without trial or held
under fabricated charges."
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