June 22, 2023 (Washington, DC) — Today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a joint session of the United States Congress, and President Joe Biden will host Mr. Modi for a formal state dinner at the White House.
In light of this visit, the Sikh Coalition joins with Americans from a range of different communities, including many in the Sikh diaspora, in expressing our serious concerns about the state of India’s democracy. To be clear, the Sikh community, like all communities, is not a political monolith; accordingly, we do not claim to represent all Sikh Americans’ views on Mr. Modi or U.S.-Indian relations. As a national civil rights organization, however, we do have specific concerns about Mr. Modi’s human rights record, including but not limited to internet blackouts, a continual decline in press freedom, harassment of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), mistreatment of religious minorities, suppression of peaceful protests, and other violations of human rights that must be addressed by President Biden and answered for by Mr. Modi.
“The United States must always pursue the delicate work of balancing our strategic, economic, and national security objectives with our values of democracy, civil liberties, and human rights,” said Sikh Coalition Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy Sim J. Singh Attariwala. “In light of continued documented human rights issues in India, Mr. Modi’s state visit presents a critical opportunity for the Biden Administration to publicly address these concerns and obtain commitments from Mr. Modi that his administration will recommit to the democratic values ostensibly shared by our two nations.”
In a briefing call with the White House and a letter to President Biden, the Sikh Coalition has called on the president to secure two firm commitments from Mr. Modi: 1) An end to internet shutdowns that aim to squash peaceful organizing and restrict the freedom of information, and 2) a safe ‘re-opening’ of India for international NGOs that have been legally threatened or erroneously banned from monitoring and reporting on India’s human rights abuses. Both of these commitments are basic steps towards making Sikhs and other minorities in India safer.
Beyond the White House, the Sikh Coalition has shared our perspectives with congressional offices and senior leadership at the U.S. Department of State, including Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain. We also signed on in support of a congressional resolution to designate India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ for religious freedom per the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s recommendation, joined our partners at Hindus for Human Rights in calling for action by signing on to their open letter, and shared resources with additional allies in the civil rights ecosystem.
All of this engagement follows our most recent letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding human rights violations in Punjab in March of this year, as well as our significant advocacy, media, and community-facing work around the Farmers’ Protest in 2020 and 2021. While we remain an organization focused on the civil rights of Sikhs and others within the United States, we will continue to leverage critical opportunities to influence the domestic conversation when it impacts the civil rights of Sikhs in Punjab.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly—and to stand for the right of others to do so around the world.