GREEN Party MEPs Jean Lambert (London) and Caroline Lucas (South-East England) have called for a UN investigation into whether a wave of violence against Indian Sikhs in 1984 constituted genocide.
Launching
a Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling on fellow MEPs to force
their inquiry demands onto the EU and UN agendas, Dr Lucas said: "Following
a military raid on the Sikh's holiest site, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and
the subsequent assassination of Indian
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her
Sikh bodyguards in 1984, a wave of violence left hundreds of thousands dead in
the Punjab and major Indian cities.
"The atrocities have been well documented by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others. Sikhs themselves describe the slaughter as 'their genocide' - but a full UN investigation has never taken place."
Mrs Lambert, a member of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee continued: "It is vital that an investigation is conducted into whether the massacre of Indian Sikhs in 1984 constitutes genocide in international law. Many of those affected and their families have sought refuge in England - and we must ensure truth and justice prevails."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The written declaration can be found at:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/Declaration/Application/Script/Declaration_2004.asp?LG_CODE=EN&YEAR_VAL=2004
For further information see www.1984genocide.org
For
more information please contact Ben or Katy on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or
at press@greenmeps.org.uk