New York, USA (February 6, 2015): To internationalize illegal extradition and continuous torture on Sikh nationalist Jagtar Singh Tara, right group “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) is holding assemblages on February 9 at Thai Embassies in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand and European countries.
On February 09, Thai officials in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Ottawa, Vancouver, London, Berlin, Brussels and Melbourne are meeting with members of the Sikh community. SFJ will be submitting a demand letter to Thai Embassies on wrongful handing over of Tara to India in violation of Thai Extradition and protection under UN Convention Against Torture.
Attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ stated that “Since Tara is being tortured and framed in false criminal cases by Badal regime to suppress the “Sikh Nationalist” movement of which Tara is an icon, we will apprise the Thai authorities about ongoing violation of the terms of Tara’s extradition”. Under the UN guidelines and international laws, a receiving country cannot violate the terms of the extradition, added Pannun.
According to Article 3 of the Model Treaty on Extradition passed by United Nation General Assembly through resolution RES/45/116, extradition request must be denied in the cases of (a) political offense; (b) possibility of torture; (c) extradition has been requested for prosecuting or punishing a person on account of his religion or political opinions; or (d) if the person extradited will not be given a fair trial.
During Tara’s detention in Bangkok, SFJ unsuccessfully tried to block Beant’s assassin’s extradition by retaining a team of top Thai lawyers and by enlisting the help of Thai human rights activists.
Tara has been charged with the August 1995 assassination of Beant Singh the then Chief Minister of Punjab. Beant was infamous for launching fierce police operations in Punjab to suppress the Sikh nationalist movement. During Beant’s tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab from February 1992 to August 1995, over 100,000 Sikhs were tortured and extra judicially killed in “fake encounters”.