Human Rights

Mr. Colin Gonsalves speaking at the World SIkh Organization Dinner in Toronto June 4, 2011

Submitted by WSO Staff on Thu, 09/06/2011 - 21:06

 

If the video stops in the middle please click on the video or click here.

WSO Expresses Concern at Conviction of Indian Human Rights Activist

Binayak SenBinayak SenOttawa (December 24, 2010): The World Sikh Organization of Canada expresses its concern at the conviction of human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen in Chhatisgarh India on charges of treason and sedition.

Today an Additional District and Sessions Court in Raipur India convicted Dr. Binayak Sen and two others of sedition and treason and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court found Dr. Sen guilty of carrying letters with “seditious content”. He was sentenced under the Special Public Security Act which restricts public meetings, organised protests and opposition of government policies.

Dr. Sen is an office holder in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties and a well known physician and human rights activist who has worked with tribal populations in Chhatisgarh region for decades. Dr. Sen highlighted police and Maoist atrocities in the region and has also been openly critical of the Salwa Judum, the state government’s militia, which has been implicated in widespread abuses.

Read more »

SIKHTOONS: CONVEYING POWERFUL MESSAGES ABOUT SIKH EXPERIENCES

Submitted by WSO Staff on Mon, 20/12/2010 - 21:50

BY INDIRA PRAHST - Instructor of Race and Ethnic Relations, Department of Sociology, Langara College, Vancouver

Vishavjit Singh - Sikhtoons: Cartoonist from New YorkVishavjit Singh - Sikhtoons: Cartoonist from New York

"I really liked the cartoon display and would not have learned what I had about Sikhs and 1984 if it was not displayed through cartoons in this way.”

That was the reactions of some Sikh youth after taking in the Sikhtoons exhibition by cartoonist Vishavjit Singh from New York last week at Gurdwara Sahib Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in Abbotsford.

Indeed, cartoon art is a creative way to disseminate knowledge and to express feelings that may not be captured through words. This was the case for Vishavjit, creator of Sikhtoons and a software engineer by profession, who told me that he was able to find an outlet for the collage of feelings of anger, pain and nostalgia he felt through cartooning, adding: “This allows me also to analyze aspects of 1984 and to continue to educate myself.”

Read more »

World Sikh Organization Statement on International Human Rights Day

Ottawa (December 10, 2010): The World Sikh Organization of Canada and Canadian Sikhs join the rest of the world in marking International Human Rights Day 2010. 62 years ago on this day, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees amongst other rights, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to be free from torture. Read more »

STATEMENT BY THE WSO ON THE NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Ottawa December 6, 2010: The World Sikh Organization of Canada commemorates the National Day of Remembrance and Action Violence Against Women. On December 6, 1989, a gunman opened fire and took the lives of 14 innocent young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal.

On this day, we face some very grim statistics about violence against women in Canada: Read more »

In India, beaten US journalist becomes focus of police torture probe

Submitted by WSO Staff on Wed, 14/04/2010 - 14:44

A report on 'widespread and systemic' police torture in India was published today, focusing on the case of US journalist Joel Elliott. Mr. Elliott claims that Indian police beat him severely while he was in their custody.

"In India, beaten US journalist becomes focus of police torture probe"

By Ben Arnoldy, Staff writer The Christian Science Monitor

Response of Some Politicians to Sikh Community’s Concerns Disappointing

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(March 23, 2010) - The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is deeply disappointed by the response of some federal and provincial politicians to the concerns of the Sikh community about the visit of Indian cabinet minister Kamal Nath to Canada. Mr. Nath has been implicated in leading a mob that attacked Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, a prominent Sikh shrine, and burnt several Sikhs alive. While the Sikh community welcomes the statement by NDP Leader Jack Layton acknowledging the Sikh community's concerns and urging his caucus to not attend events featuring Mr. Read more »

India: Prosecute Those Responsible for 1984 Massacre of Sikhs On 25th Anniversary of Revenge Killings, Organizers Remain Free

Submitted by WSO Staff on Tue, 03/11/2009 - 04:40

Human Rights Watch has posted an article titled Prosecute Those Responsible for 1984 Massacre of Sikhs

(New York) - The failure of successive Indian governments to bring to justice those responsible for mass revenge attacks on Sikhs after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 25 years ago is a severe blot on India's legal system and democracy, Human Rights Watch said today... Read more »

Corrupt Democracy in India

Submitted by WSO Staff on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 00:02

Corrupt Democracy in India is an article posted over at The Nation that is worth a read:

Sexual abuse in police stations. Crimes "solved" by countless extrajudicial killings. Life-threatening prison conditions. Widespread torture. Thousands of unpunished murders in politically inspired pogroms. Sixty million children in forced labor. Read more »

Breaking the Silence

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) has read the story "Operation Silence" by Tehelka.com with considerable interest. Read more »

Syndicate content