Free Professor Devender Pal Singh Bhullar
Ottawa, Canada (April 23, 2013): It is learnt that after sending an urgent appeal to the Canadian, German and Indian governments last week, WSO has received a reply from German Ambassador Werner Wnendt in which he has stated, “[o]n April 12, 2013, the same day the Supreme Court of India has refused to relief Prof. Bhullar from the death penalty, the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in order to plead his case. Germany will continue to talk to India on the highest level about this case”.
“WSO will continue to raise the issue of Prof. Bhullar’s imminent execution and will continue to speak out strongly against the death penalty”, Balpreet Singh, Legal Council (WSO Canada) told Sikh Siyasat News.
Ambassador Wnendt’s full reply is as follows:
Dear Mrs Singh,
Thank you for sending us the letter of Mr. Prem Singh Vinning, President World Sikh Organization of Canada and similar letters and e-mails that have been sent to the German Consulates General in Canada.
The government of the Federal Republic of Germany is strongly against the death penalty and has encouraged the government of the Republic of India on numerous occasions to return to the moratorium on the death penalty.
Germany has followed the case of Prof. Bhullar closely and has asked India on a number of occasions to relief him from the death penalty on humanitarian reasons. On April 12, 2013, the same day the Supreme Court of India has refused to relief Prof. Bhullar from the death penalty, the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in order to plead his case.
Germany will continue to talk to India on the highest level about this case.
Sincerely
Werner Wnendt
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany