Sikh Genocide 1984 » Special News

Official White House Response to recognize Sikh Genocide -30000+ Killed in India during November 1984

April 2, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Washington, United States (April 02, 2013): It is learnt that the White House has responded to a petition moved by Human Rights and advocacy group “Sikhs for Justice” (SJF), seeking recognition to the fact of Sikh genocide 1984. During November 1984 thousands of innocent Sikhs were massacred during a state-sponsored genocide of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in India.

The fact of genocide still remains unrecognized by the international community.

In it’s official response the White House has made no reference to the word genocide, which implies that it did not recognize the fact of genocide.

Where as Indian media is using this response as an opportunity to down-play the efforts of Sikh diaspora to get recognition for Sikh Genocide 1984. A prominent Indian news agency has termed this response as a “jolt to pro-Khalistan groups in US”, therefore it is important to know the exact response by the White House regarding the Sikh genocide petition.

Sikh Siyasat News has accessed the text of official White House response and the text is reproduced, in verbatim, as follows:

“OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE TO

RECOGNIZE “SIKH GENOCIDE” – 30,000+ KILLED IN INDIA DURING NOVEMBER 1984 – “YES, IT IS GENOCIDE”

Speaking Out Against and Preventing Violence Based on Religious Affiliation

Thank you for expressing your views. 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).

In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act, the President appoints an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to head the Office of International Religious Freedom at the State Department and to advise the Secretary of State and the President on issues related to international religious freedom. The Ambassador is also responsible for providing information related to religious freedom to be included in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Human Rights Reports) and preparing a separate Annual Report on International Religious Freedom [International Religious Freedom Report (IRFR).] The IRFR describes the status of religious freedom in every country, highlights trends and violations, and details the actions that the United States government is taking to improve freedom of religion.”

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Note: The text of above response is available on White House Website, and visitors/readers of the Sikh Siyasat News are advised to visit the source page at: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/speaking-out-against-and-preventing-violence-based-religious-affiliation

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Related Topics: 1984 Sikh Genocide, Indian Media, Indian State, November 1984, Sikh Diaspora, Sikhs in United States, White House

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