SAN FRANCISCO CA: On the eve of Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Raos address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress and his May 19 meeting with President Clinton Human Rights Watch/Asia and Physicians for Human Rights released a report that accuses the Indian police of deliberately executing “disappearing” and) brutally torturing hundreds of Sikhs in the state of Punjab India.

The 103-page report Dead Silence The Legacy of Abuses in Punjab presentative of Physicians for Human Rights and Medical Director of Survivors International of Northern California Ina May 18 press conference Dr. lycopene will discuss the findings of the report and his experience in documenting medical evidence of torture in more than 50 Sikh survivors who have applied for political asylum in San Francisco.

One such survivor Mr. Singh appeared with Dr. lacopio al the press conference Singh who was brutally tortured by the Punjab police 4nd bears permanent scars of tor true was recently granted political asylum in 1992 Dr. lacopio traveled to Punjab as a-participant in one of any (wo international human rights investigation teams to enter the area which has been sealed off to international human thought investigators. Dr. lacopino and his collegues investigated 21 cases of extrajudicial executions 20 disappearances and 43 cases of torture by the Punjab police One policeman testified that in his police station alone more than 1000 Sikhs have tortured yearly during his five year tenure. The team also investigated nine killings of civilians by Ont other it is all HRW?

Asia and PHR conducted more than 100 interviews with witness and other informed sources molding govt. officials and former police men. The report also documents evidence of torture among Sikhs living in the U.S. who) were tortured in India the 1993 Dr.Jacopino was also joined at the press conference by the law office of Jobe & Melrod. Jobe & Melrod represents over 600 Sikhs who have applied for political asylum in the United States Over the past few years the firm has successfully assisted over 130 Sikhs in winning political asylum. The firm has been at the forefront of recent federal court decisions expanding the legal rights of Sikh political asylum applicants.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 20, 1994