UN experts urge Canada to protect threatened Sikh activist

GENEVA, Switzerland: United Nations rights experts have urged Canada to take all feasible measures to protect the Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who has been repeatedly warned by the Canadian authorities of credible threats to his life.

In a letter to the Canadian government dated June 3, and made public two months later, as per regular procedure, the five UN experts raised “concerning allegations of foreign intimidation and reprisals” against Singh, a Canadian national.

It recalled that since 2022, Singh has received four so-called “duty to warn” notices from the Canadian authorities about credible and imminent threats to his life.

It urged Canada to “take all feasible measures at its disposal to protect Mr Moninder Singh and his family, as well as similarly-situated individuals on Canadian soil.

“We also urge the authorities to accelerate the investigations into these allegations, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure adequate remedy to victims, and take all steps to prevent reoccurrence.”

The letter was written by the special rapporteurs on protecting rights while countering terrorism; on freedom of peaceful assembly; on human rights defenders, and on freedom of religion; and the expert on promoting a democratic international order.

UN special rapporteurs and experts are independent figures appointed by the Human Rights Council to report their findings. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.

A copy of the letter was also sent to the Indian government.

Transnational repression

Singh visited the United Nations in Geneva earlier this year to appeal for international action against India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists abroad, and against so-called transnational repression more broadly.

Sikh activists accuse India of targeting members of their community around the world, including alleged killings using organised crime groups — charges India denies.

The best-known case was the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a friend of Singh’s who was gunned down near the Sikh temple he led in a Vancouver suburb.

Canada’s then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, publicly accused India of involvement in that assassination, a charge later repeated by Canadian intelligence.

India denied the allegations, which chilled ties between the two nations, and saw each expelling a string of diplomats in 2024.

Relations improved after Prime Minister Mark Carney took office last year, culminating with an India visit in March to sign a string of trade deals, and as Canadian authorities downplayed their previous threat assessment.

Khalistan campaign

Like Nijjar, Singh, 44, is part of a fringe group advocating for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.

The Khalistan campaign dates to India’s 1947 independence and has been blamed for the assassination of a prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.

It has been a bitter issue between India and several Western nations with large Sikh populations.

In their letter, the experts said they were concerned that the threats against Singh “fall within a broader pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh activists in different countries, including Canada”.

Singh told AFP the letter was “a stark reminder of how far the Indian state is willing to go to silence Sikh voices advocating for self-determination”.

“When a foreign state feels empowered to commit violence in Canada to silence dissent, it signals a profound failure to protect the rights and safety of targeted communities,” he said.

“I refuse to be intimidated into silence. My leadership and advocacy for Khalistan are rooted in international law, human rights principles, and most importantly the lived experiences of my community,” Singh added.