Anti-Sikh riots: Sikh for Justice to file ‘genocide petition’

The Times of India
June 14, 2012 Thursday

Anti-Sikh riots: Sikh for Justice to file ‘genocide petition’

by : Yudhvir Rana

AMRITSAR: The Sikh “genocide petition” will be filed pursuant to “1503
petition” procedure asking UN to investigate the systematic killing of
Sikhs in India during the first week of November 1984.

The “genocide petition” which will be filed before UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) will demand the UN to
investigate the systematic, intentional and deliberate killing of
Sikhs carried out throughout India and to recognize the same as
“genocide” under UN Convention on Genocide, says Gurpatwant Singh
Pannun, legal adviser, Sikh for Justice (SFJ), a US-based advocacy
group.

SFJ along with All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) has launched
an international campaign “1984 – Yes, It’s Genocide”, to collect
“million signatures” in support of the Sikh “genocide petition.

He said that under “1503 petition” the commission on human rights will
examine complaints which show consistent patterns of gross human
rights violations as in the case of Sikhs during November 1984.

The petition will ask UNHCR to declare the killings of Sikhs in 1984
as “Genocide” under Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide. The
SFJ would provide UN Commission documents, the testimony of victims
and witnesses of 1984 Genocide, Pannun said.

“SFJ would also approach Israel, Armenia, Bosnia and Rwanda who had
been victims of genocide for the endorsement and support of Sikh
“genocide petition” before UN,”

Pannun said.

Jatinder Singh Grewal, coordinator for “1984 – Yes It’s Genocide”
campaign said that since the launching of the campaign in North
America, more than fifty thousand signatures had already been
collected.

The campaign would also be taken to Australia, UK and European Union
to collect signatures from Sikh diaspora, Grewal said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress