Date: 26 Apr 2011
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DEMANDS PROSEUCTION OF CONGRESS LEADERS FOR NOVEMBER 1984 KILLINGS OF SIKHS \\\\\\\\\\\ Renowned international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement on April 25, 2011 demanding prosecution of Congress leaders who were involved in organizing attacks on Sikhs during November 1984. \\\\\\\\\\ According to Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Direct at HRW, in November 1984 Sikhs were attacked and killed "with the complicity of senior members of Gandhi's then-ruling Congress party". The statement goes on to say that "Although there is evidence that at least some of the attacks were orchestrated by senior political figures, none have yet been convicted for the 1984 killings". \\\\\\\\\\\\ http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/25/india-bring-charges-newly-discovered-massacre-sikhs \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\This recent statement from HRW has been issued in the wake of startling discovery by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) of 26 year old Mass Graves, debris of ruined houses and Gurudwaras and sites where Sikhs were burnt alive during November 1984. \\\\\\\\\\\ According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun legal advisor to SFJ, "HRW's statement demanding prosecution of Congress party leaders supports the case of victims of November 1984 against Congress party and its leaders." \\\\\\\\\\ The case against Congress (I) has been filed by "Sikhs For Justice" (SFJ) a US based human rights group along with several Sikh individuals from different states and cities of India who witnessed and survived attacks in November 1984. The class action lawsuit (SFJ v. Congress (I) SDNY (10 CV 2940)) has been filed under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). Congress (I) has been charged with "conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in November 1984". Plaintiffs have asked for a "jury trial" and will have the right to call upon survivors and experts on Genocide as witnesses to prove that systematic killing of Sikhs in November 1984 was Genocide as defined Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide. \\\\\\\\\\ Attorney Pannun further stated that "SFJ has approached "The International Federation for Human Rights" (FIDH) which specifically helps victims of human rights violations and fights practice of impunity to intervene on behalf of the victims in the pending law suit against Congress party." FIDH has a permanent office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague and is currently involved in many cases before domestic courts and the ICC where it is helping the victims of human rights violations. \\\\\\\\\\\\\ 000000000