The Honorable Warren Christopher Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Christopher:
Last week, I wrote to you regarding India’s request for ex tradition of two Sikhs Daya Singh Sandhu and Kamal jeet Kaur. I noted in my letter that both of these individuals had previously been victims of torture in India, and were likely to be tortured again if extradited. It has come to my attention that the Indian government has another pending request for the extradition of two other Sikhs Ranjit Singh Gill and Sukhminder Singh Sandhu. It is my understanding that these two men have been in custody in the U.S. for nearly a decade while their case has been heard in the courts.
As you know, Land many other Members of Congress are deeply concerned about India’s brutal treatment of Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and other minorities especially suspected opponents of the government. Human rights groups have reported that virtually all Sikh prisoners are tortured. Extrajudicial killings of Sikhs have been well documented. Evidence of extensive cremations of Sikh victims of these killings is starting to emerge.
Because of my concerns about India’s human rights record, I was hoping that you could provide me with some pertinent information:
1) Does the State Department have a formal policy on extradition of foreign nationals to countries where human rights abuses are prevalent?
2) How many pending extradition requests does the State Department have from India, and for how many individuals?
3) How many individuals, if y, has the United States extradited to India during the last 10 years?
4) If any individuals were extradited, aid the U.S. Embassy establish any system to monitor their treatment and determine whether or not they received a fair trial?
5) Is the State Department aware of any human rights abuses com mitted against individuals extradited to India? 6) Is the State aware of any human rights abuses com mitted against individuals deported to o India from the United States? (Lam enclosing an article about a young Sikh man deported to India from 5 Germany who was picked up by police at the ai and even yy murdered w: his family could not pay ransom).
As I noted in my previous letter, 1 am aware that these individuals have been accused, but not convicted, of serious offenses, and I do not condone the use of violence or terrorism. However, I believe that we have an obligation to make sure that any individuals extradited from the. U. S. are not subjected to torture or other human rights violations, and have an opportunity to receive a fair trial. I hope that you will be able to provide me with the information requested before you reach any decision on: these cases, and that you will seriously consider India’s abysmal human rights record as you analyze these requests. Thank you once again for your attention to this matter.
Dan Burton Member of Congress Washington, DC.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1996
