Media Library - Federation's response to developments in India

The Sikh Federation (UK) in collaboration with Sikh organisations throughout Europe is organising the first ever European Sikh Lobby Day. The 'SIKH FREEDOM LOBBY' will be taking place in Brussels on the afternoon of Wednesday 31 May 2006 from 12 noon

The four freedom issues to be covered are:-

• the freedom of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and other Sikh political prisoners languishing in Indian jails

• the freedom of Sikhs in Europe to practice their faith

• the freedom to expose the genocide of Sikhs in 1984 and the widespread abuse of human rights in India

• the freedom for Sikhs to exercise their right to self determination

To coincide with the lobby Written Declaration 0030/2006 was tabled in the European Parliament last week on the punitive treatment of political and human rights activists in India. The Written Declaration concerns the case of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and will be an important focus for the lobby. There are still over one hundred known Sikh political prisoners that are still being held without trial or on fabricated charges.

The declaration while referring to the Professor mentions his illegal deportation from Germany, the intense political persecution he suffered in Panjab, the torture he was subjected to and the contentious trial and death sentence imposed. It calls on the European Commission and the German Government to press for an immediate withdrawal of the death sentence imposed and to demand a full review of the Professor's case in accordance with international law, under monitoring by UN observers. It also calls on the European Commission and Council to demand that India cease its punitive treatment of political and human rights activists in areas of political unrest.

Sikhs throughout the 25-member EU Member States have been encouraged to contact their MEPs and urge them to sign Written Declaration 0030/2006. In addition, MEPs are being urged to get other MEPs belonging to the same EU political grouping to support the declaration.

Sikhs will make a further push on getting signatories at the Sikh Freedom Lobby at the end of the month. On 26 May 2006 Professor Davinderpal Singh will be 42-years old having spent the last quarter of his life in prison and over half his life facing persecution.

The freedom of Sikhs in Europe to visibly practice their faith is a major concern for Sikhs living in Europe. For the last couple of years the right to wear the Sikh turban (dastaar) in France with respect to school children and when obtaining documentation, such as passports and driving licences have been well publicised. However, similar problems exist for school children in Belgium and difficulties have also occurred in Germany. In addition, the right to wear the Kirpan is increasingly being challenged in many countries throughout Europe.

Recently a delegation of MEPs has returned from Panjab and promised to take the dastaar issue up with the French authorities. The Sikh Freedom Lobby will provide an ideal opportunity for Sikhs from across Europe to unite and demonstrate our opposition to all restrictions on our articles of faith.

With the 22nd anniversary of the June 1984 genocide of Sikhs fast approaching the third freedom issue to be raised in Brussels will be the freedom for groups like Amnesty International and the UN Rapporteur on Torture to have full access to Panjab to expose human rights abuses.

Amnesty International has now been prevented from entering Panjab for over 25 years. Sikh human rights activists that have tried to expose human rights abuses, such as torture, fake encounters and disappearances have met with the same fate. The Indian authorities have recently admitted they sponsored the killing of innocent people in Panjab to create an atmosphere for the police to allow them to use excessive force, stage fake encounters, torture and disappear at will, use extortion and kill anyone that dared associate with the Sikh independence movement.

As Sikhs in countries across the world are making preparations to mark the 22nd anniversary of the June 1984 massacre the Sikh Freedom Lobby in Brussels provides an excellent political platform for Sikhs from across Europe to exert political pressure on India to allow the international community to learn the truth of 1984 and the events of the last 25 years and seek the justice Sikhs deserve.

The fourth and final issue that will be raised is the freedom for Sikhs to exercise their right to self determination. Twelve months ago a paper was presented to UK Parliamentarians titled "Self determination as a human right and its applicability to the Sikhs". This started a debate with UK politicians on why Sikhs believe it is legitimate for Sikhs to have the right to self determination.

The Sikh Federation (UK) has argued there must be an open dialogue with Sikhs on their right to self determination and that the "territorial integrity" of India can not be used as an excuse if politicians believe in the principles that have been established at the UN.

oliticians that apply the territorial integrity "limitation" to India have been reminded:

• The limitation only applies where “States conduct themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and self-determination" - India opted out of this defence in 1966 when they put down a "reservation" when ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. India in effect stated in the UN that the right of self determination only applied to people living outside India. France, Germany and the Netherlands objected to the reservation on the grounds self determination must apply to all people. The UN has invited India to withdraw this reservation, but India has neglected to respond.

• It is now internationally recognised that any government which is oppressive to peoples within its territory may no longer be able to rely on the ground of ‘territorial integrity’ as a limitation on the right of self-determination.

The Sikh Freedom Lobby in Brussels will allow Sikhs for the first time to engage at the European level on the importance of the Sikh right to self determination and why organisations, such as the Sikh Federation (UK) passionately believe in the establishment of an independent sovereign Sikh State, Khalistan. Given the French, German and Dutch support for the right to self determination it will be important that Sikhs from these countries attend in large numbers.

The Sikh Federation (UK) has appealed to Sikhs across Europe to contact MEPs and ask them to sign Written Declaration 0030/2006. It has asked for each country in Europe where Sikhs live to organise an appropriately sized delegation to ask for a brief lobbying meeting with MEPs on the Sikh Freedom Lobby in Brussels on Wednesday 31 May. In the UK MEPs are split into twelve regions. The aim is to have a delegation of five to ten Sikhs from each region with a regional co-ordinator ensuring all MEPs in the region are contacted and MEPs are aware of all Sikhs attending for each region. Similar arrangements are likely in other countries where MEPs represent regions and a sufficient number of Sikhs are able to attend.