London, United Kingdom (February 28, 2013): According to a press release issued by the organizers of the Kesri Lehar, the UK Parliament has noted the genuine concern and fear of the 118,000 UK petitioners, urging the government to use it’s friendly relations with India to abolish the death penalty.
“The concern is being supported by various community groups (Christians, Dalits, Sikhs, Kashmiris and Muslims)” reads the statement.
“The campaign has gathered unprecedented momentum amongst internationally respected Human Rights Groups: Amnesty International, Liberation and Redress. The above has been closely monitored in India, causing great anxiety, where senior Indian politicians are calling for the hangings of a selected few on the death row to be expedited”, it reads further.
The Kesri Lehar had petitioned the UK government to conduct a debate on the issue of death penalty and human rights abuses in India. The petition was handed over to the UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron on 10 December last year on the ever of Universal Human Rights day.
UK parliamentarians are going to hold the debate on February 28, 2013. The full text of the motion to be debated states:
“That this House welcomes the national petition launched by the Kesri Lehar campaign urging the UK Government to press the Indian government to sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which encompasses the death penalty, with the result that India would abolish the death penalty and lift this threat from Balwant Singh Rajoana and others.”
A 33 page document released by the Kesri Lehar, issues related to “Persecution of Religious Minorities”, “Sikh Genocide 1984”, “Threats to Human Rights Activitsts – with specific reference to the case of Jaswant Singh Khalra”, “Torture”, “Extra-judicial abductions and killings”, “Detah Penalty – with specific reference to the cases of Professor Devender Pal Singh Bhullar and Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana”, “Discrimination against Dalits and Adivasis – Rapes and Sexual Abuses of Dalits”, “Abuses across states – including the states of Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal” – are discussed in detail.