Conference on India's repressive policy toward Sikhs concludes in Baku – UPDATED

For the first time in Azerbaijan, an international conference was held focusing on the repressive policies of the Indian government toward ethnic minorities.

According to Report, the conference, titled "Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other Minorities in India: The Reality on the Ground," was organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).

The event was attended by Ramesh Singh Arora, Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs of Pakistan's Punjab province; representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; as well as experts from think tanks and scholars specializing in human rights and ethnic minority studies from international universities. The conference also included participants who had personally suffered from the repressive policies of the Indian authorities.

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An international conference dedicated to the Indian government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities has kicked off in Baku.

According to Report, the event, organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), is titled Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other Minorities in India: The Reality on the Ground.

The conference, held for the first time in Azerbaijan, will feature Ramesh Singh Arora, Minister for Human Rights and Minorities in Pakistan's Punjab, other officials, prominent representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, the UK, and the US, as well as think tank leaders, academics specializing in human rights and ethnic minorities, and individuals who have been direct victims of India's repressive and discriminatory policies.

Discussions will focus on the Indian government's systemic racial discrimination, violence, and repression against Sikhs and other minorities, including violations of obligations under international treaties such as the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention Against Torture. The conference will also address the need to keep these issues on the agenda of international organizations, adopt relevant decisions, investigate extrajudicial executions, and document human rights violations through UN special rapporteurs.

The role of international and local NGOs and academic circles will also be discussed, particularly how their reports, legal opinions, and recommendations can influence global decision-making mechanisms.