DEMON-CRACY
WASHINGTON, DC (KP - As various state Governments in India continued to silence the freedom of expression and speech by banning the film ‘Sada Haq’ which details grave human rights atrocities committed by the State against the Sikh Nation, the United States Government in an official statement acknowledged the massacre of thousands of the Sikh community across this so-called world largest democracy.
While governments of western countries are openly recognizing and discussing the mass violation of human rights that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, shamefully, the Governments of various Indian states have taken draconian measure to prevent their citizens from learning about the grave violations committed by the Indian police and security forces against Sikhs and other minorities.
- US White House Statement
In an official statement titled “Speaking Out Against and Preventing Violence Based on Religious Affiliation”, the White House, in response to a petition put forward by a human rights group stated:
“During and after the 1984 violence, the United States monitored and publicly reported on the grave human rights violations that occurred and the atrocities committed against members of the Sikh community. The State Department's Official Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, for example, covered the violence and its aftermath in detail, with sections on political killings, disappearances, denial of fair public trials, negative effects on freedom of religion, and the government's response to civil society organizations investigating allegations of human rights violations.”
“We continue to condemn -- and more importantly, to work against -- violence directed at people based on their religious affiliation. U.S. Government efforts to protect the rights and freedoms of all people have long been a feature of our foreign policy. Our diplomats regularly report on and speak out against violence against minorities around the world.”
“Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act (.pdf) in 1998, which affirms U.S. commitment to religious freedom, enshrined both in the United States Constitution and in numerous international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”
