BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. An international
conference, organized by the Baku Initiative Group, on "June 1984,
events in Amritsar: India's transnational repression of ethnic
minorities in the context of genocide" dedicated to the Indian
government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities, is
being held in Baku, Trend reports.
Representatives of the Dalit community, who have suffered from
the Indian government's repressive and systemic discrimination
policies, will participate in events held in Azerbaijan for the
first time.
The event will also feature influential representatives of the
Sikh community from Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany,
Switzerland, Australia, and the U.S., as well as heads of think
tanks, human rights and ethnic minority experts, and individuals
who have been direct victims of the Indian government's repressive,
racist, and persecutory policies.
The conference will discuss the ongoing agenda of international
organizations of the Indian government's policy of transnational
repression and systemic persecution against ethnic and religious
minorities, particularly members of the Sikh and Dalit diasporas
and their families. At the same time, an exchange of views will be
held on strengthening coordinated cooperation between diaspora
organizations affected by repression, strengthening joint
mechanisms for legal protection against transnational persecution,
and joint activities on international platforms.
Furthermore, discussions will focus on the armed attacks, acts
of violence, and the deaths of thousands of innocent people
committed by India in June 1984 during the Amritsar events against
the Sikh community and its religious and cultural values, as well
as the legal assessment of these events at the international level
and the Indian government's compliance with its obligations to
international organizations regarding the rights of ethnic
minorities.
The June 1984 armed attack by the Indian government on the
Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, one of the holiest
religious sites of the Sikh community, was a state-organized act of
violence against the religious and spiritual values, freedom of
religion, and the historical and cultural heritage of the
community. According to data compiled from reports by international
non-governmental organizations, independent sources, and witness
accounts, approximately 8,000 civilians were killed in the armed
attack in Amritsar and surrounding towns.
The report "Transcending borders: India's transnational
repression of the Sikh diaspora," prepared jointly in March of this
year by the Baku Initiative Group and Sikh Federation
International, documents the Indian government's repressive
policies against members of the diaspora living abroad and the
events in Amritsar in 1984.
Will be updated
