VANCOUVER, BC, Canada—On Thursday April 18 at 6:00pm Sikhs from across the Lower Mainland of BC will be joining thousands of other Sikhs across the globe as they will unite at the Vancouver Art Gallery before marching to the Indian Consulate Office in downtown Vancouver, to rally against the illegal death sentencing of Professor Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar of Punjab.
Professor Bhullar’s 18 year-long case has accumulated to two decades of illegal detainment (including 10 years of solitary confinement), physical torture, arbitrary evidence, no witnesses, one supreme court judge’s acquittal of the case, while two others sentenced death based solely on a court retracted confessional statement, a fragmented and fumbling procession of court procedures and today, the sentencing of a man that has been tortured to the point of mental unsoundness and ill physical health.
With over 7.5 million signatures of support petitioning for the release of Professor Bhullar, thousands of protesters rallying in cities across the UK, America, Australia, Canada and Punjab, Amnesty International releasing statements and organizing campaigns and further, global political pundits and judicial superiors shaking their head at the nonsensical and inhumane treatment and sentencing; this brazen act of power and impunity by the Indian government is a tactic of intimidation over voices continuing to resist the oppression of minorities in India.
International Human Rights Organization, Amnesty International has this to say in regards to the use of the death penalty: “The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is done in the name of justice and it violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” In calling itself a democracy, the Indian Union falls considerably short time and time again when dealing with human rights issues pertaining to minorities within its enforced borders. Amnesty International launched its third Urgent Action appeal for Professor Bhullar on Friday 12 April 2013 calling upon the Indian government not to execute the Professor, to remove him from death row immediately, and retry his case in proceedings that comply with international fair trial standards.
With the hanging of Professor Bhullar being an imminent possibility, we the united Sikhs of BC, call for the support of the community to join us as we protest and rally for the release of Professor Bhullar. We ask for the community to support this humanitarian cause seeking freedom and justice.
When: Thursday April 18, 2013 at 6pm
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery (then march to the Indian Consulate Office at 325 Howe St.)
How: Buses from local Gurdwaras/Skytrain service to within 1 block of Indian Consulate (get off at Waterfront Station)
Event Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/537533322965956/?notif_t=plan_user_invited
