Baku Initiative Group to hold Geneva conference on Sikh human rights

The Baku Initiative Group will hold an international conference titled "Combating Transnational Repression by the Indian Government: Sikh Resistance and the UN" in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, Report informs.

Influential representatives of the Sikh diaspora from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the US, as well as individuals who are direct victims of the Indian government's repressive, racist, and persecutory policies, will participate in the event.

The conference will feature discussions around the facts that representatives of ethnic communities who were forced to leave the country as a result of threats and repressive policies carried out by the Indian government against other ethnic communities, and who currently reside in foreign countries - Sikh activists, leaders of diaspora organizations, as well as their family members - have been subjected to increasing attacks and terror threats by Indian authorities in recent times. An exchange of views will be held regarding the serious risks posed by organized attacks in terms of fundamental freedoms and human rights, as well as cross-border pressures and threats directed against diaspora organizations.

In this regard, the main discussion topics of the conference will include the necessity of drawing the attention of international organizations to the aforementioned issues, the possibilities of bringing the Indian government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities both domestically and abroad to the agenda of the UN and its relevant bodies, particularly the more effective application of existing procedures and mechanisms within the framework of the Human Rights Council, as well as the systematic documentation by UN rapporteurs specializing in cross-border issues, ethnic minorities, and their rights of the unlawful persecution and pressure carried out by the Indian government against the Sikh community, the importance of further strengthening accountability and monitoring mechanisms at the global level to prevent such cases, and the Indian government's responsibility at the international level.

Following the international conference, a presentation of a joint report prepared by the Baku Initiative Group and the Sikh Federation will be held at the Geneva Press Club, and questions from media representatives will be answered.