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Indian transnational repression must not be left unaddressed, say Sikh organizations in US and Canada
They issued a statement noting that despite arguments for making Indian transnational repression a policy priority, the Biden administration and the Trudeau government seem to be moving in the opposite direction following the G7 gathering.
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World Sikh Organization and Sikh Coalition. / World Sikh Organization and Sikh Coalition websites
The World Sikh Organization of Canada and the Sikh Coalition in the United States issued a joint statement on July.3 calling for action to address the threat of transnational repression against the Sikh community, allegedly perpetrated by the Government of India.
“In some regards, our respective countries are taking this issue seriously. In the United States, a group of senators recently called for a ‘robust diplomatic response’ to the targeting of US-based Sikhs for assassination, and a subcommittee of the Department of Homeland Security’s Faith-Based Advisory Council urged that transnational repression must not go unanswered, ‘regardless of whether the country is a US ally or adversary,” they said in the statement.
On June.17, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led other Senators in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The letter called for a robust diplomatic response following allegations of the Indian government's involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen on US soil and requested a briefing on the matter.
“In Canada, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians recently found that India is now ‘the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes’—a finding built on conclusions of the previous Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions,” the Sikhs alleged in the July.3 statement.
The statement also noted that despite arguments for making Indian transnational repression a policy priority, the Biden Administration and the Trudeau government seem to be moving in the opposite direction following the G7 gathering in Italy last month.
Rhetoric from US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Prime Minister Trudeau in the wake of the summit has taken a more conciliatory tone, emphasizing dialogue and strategic partnership. This shift has been accompanied by minimal mention of justice, accountability, or the civil rights and safety of the Sikh diasporic community, the organizations added.
“We have said repeatedly that self-investigation leading to self-absolution is an unacceptable outcome,” the Sikh organizations further alleged. “If Canada and the United States do not stand together, Sikhs will suffer the consequences. Furthermore, allies and adversaries the world over will feel emboldened to mete out whatever consequences serve their self-interest on the individuals who reside within our borders.”
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