BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. An international conference, organized by the Baku Initiative Group, on "June 1984, events in Amritsar: India's transnational repression of ethnic minorities in the context of genocide" dedicated to the Indian government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities, is being held in Baku, Trend reports.
Representatives of the Dalit community, who have suffered from the Indian government's repressive and systemic discrimination policies, will participate in events held in Azerbaijan for the first time.
The event will also feature influential representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and the U.S., as well as heads of think tanks, human rights and ethnic minority experts, and individuals who have been direct victims of the Indian government's repressive, racist, and persecutory policies.
The conference will discuss the ongoing agenda of international organizations of the Indian government's policy of transnational repression and systemic persecution against ethnic and religious minorities, particularly members of the Sikh and Dalit diasporas and their families. At the same time, an exchange of views will be held on strengthening coordinated cooperation between diaspora organizations affected by repression, strengthening joint mechanisms for legal protection against transnational persecution, and joint activities on international platforms.
Furthermore, discussions will focus on the armed attacks, acts of violence, and the deaths of thousands of innocent people committed by India in June 1984 during the Amritsar events against the Sikh community and its religious and cultural values, as well as the legal assessment of these events at the international level and the Indian government's compliance with its obligations to international organizations regarding the rights of ethnic minorities.
The June 1984 armed attack by the Indian government on the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, one of the holiest religious sites of the Sikh community, was a state-organized act of violence against the religious and spiritual values, freedom of religion, and the historical and cultural heritage of the community. According to data compiled from reports by international non-governmental organizations, independent sources, and witness accounts, approximately 8,000 civilians were killed in the armed attack in Amritsar and surrounding towns.
The report "Transcending borders: India's transnational repression of the Sikh diaspora," prepared jointly in March of this year by the Baku Initiative Group and Sikh Federation International, documents the Indian government's repressive policies against members of the diaspora living abroad and the events in Amritsar in 1984.
Will be updated
