LOS ANGELES, CA: Amnesty International, the human rights body which has been denied access to Punjab and Kashmir has voiced its concerns again about the violations of human rights in India.

John G. Healey, Executive Director, of the Amnesty International told World Sikh News that, “Amnesty International has concerns about serious human rights violations in India which we seek to discuss with the Indian government.”

The organization’s mandate prohibited it from supporting or opposing the bil H.R. 4641, Healey said. The bill was introduced by Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) on April 27 which seeks to “terminate United States development assistance for India if the Government of India is implementing a policy which prevents representatives of human rights organizations from visiting India in order to monitor human rights in that country.”

Amnesty International is named as the organization which has been denied access to India, in the bill which has wide bipartisan support. It’s 25 cosponsors include 1] members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which will discuss the bill. They include such stalwarts of the Congress as Rep Wally Herger (R-CA), Rep Vic Fazio (D-CA) who were amongst the sponsors of the HR 1067a bill with similar intent which was narrowly defeated last year, as well as Rep Joseph Kennedy (DMA), (WSN May 4).

“Amnesty International played no role in the drafting of this proposed legislation. The policies and practices of Amnesty International are governed by our mandate which prohibits us from supporting or opposing any economic sanctions that are linked to an improvement in the human right situation,” Healey said.

WSN has learnt that the Indian government has launched a massive dis-information campaign to discredit the HR 4.641. Indian agents, have made members of the Indian community in United States go to various Congressmen who are supporting the bill or have given indications of supporting it, and said that even the Amnesty International “opposes” the measures.

The other ploy used by them is to call Sikhs “terrorists” and to say that “certain secessionist elements” support the group. Didar Singh Bains, the founder president of World Sikh Organization, who has been amongst those organizing the lobbying efforts, said that he ‘was outraged at the way in which the Indian agents were interfering with the United States Congress.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 11, 1990