Baku Initiative Group: Pressure and prosecution against Sikh community cause international concern
Baku, March 11, AZERTAC
The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has issued a statement highlighting what it described as repressive policies and prosecution carried out by the government of India against the country’s Sikh community.
According to the statement, on January 16 BIG held in Baku an international conference titled “Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other Minorities in India: The Reality on the Ground.” The event discussed cases of discrimination and violence against Sikhs and other religious minorities in India, and participants adopted a joint statement emphasizing that the issue would continue to be addressed in line with international legal norms and principles.
Following the conference, BIG’s digital systems were subjected to cyberattacks.
The organization also reported that after the event Moninder Singh Bual, Chairman of the Sikh Federation Canada, and members of his family received death threats.
The statement further highlighted the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023, as well as threats against other Sikh activists, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
“Taking these threats seriously, well-known Sikh organizations around the world are holding discussions on taking joint steps. Informing the international community and condemning the persecution carried out by the Indian government are among the primary priorities. At the same time, strengthening resilient defense capabilities against cyberattacks has become an urgent issue,” the statement said.
According to BIG, the Indian government is using the fact that the international community’s attention is largely focused on ongoing wars and conflicts to intensify pressure on Sikh activists in different countries. “In recent years, pressure and persecution against the Sikh community by the Indian government have expanded further and are causing international concern,” the statement emphasized.
The organization noted that the issue had previously been discussed mainly in the context of the United States and Canada, but recent developments indicate that similar pressure is also being observed in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, where the Sikh diaspora is active.
The statement added that transnational repression is not limited to physical threats and violence. According to BIG, methods of pressure include surveillance of diaspora activists, targeted disinformation campaigns, political and diplomatic pressure, migration restrictions, reputational attacks, and cyberattacks.
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