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Sikh Community of GA to gather in front of Indian Consulate to show support for Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa

Atlanta, GA: On 7th January, 2015, The Sikh Community of Georgia will be gathering in front of the Indian Consulate to show support for Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, who is on hunger strike for over seven weeks in a mission to free illegally incarcerated political prisoners in India — prisoners who have served there legal sentence.

“Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa has gone hungry for more than 53 days today and even as he is about to perish, he is determined to fight until the prisoners can come home to their families. Sikhs worldwide are honoring his wish and are gathering at their respective Indian offices to show support for the cause,” said a press note issued by the Sikh Community of Georgia.

Members of the Sikh community will submit a petition from the Sikh Community of GA to the Prime Minister of India via the Consulate General of Atlanta and Demonstrate worldwide support for Gurbaksh Singh.

A 49-year-old Sikh Farmer, a civil rights activist, Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa is on a hunger strike unto death, in India from Nov. 14th 2014 with little attention or reaction from the present Government, said the press note.

Khalsa has been conducting his nonviolent protest, his hunger strike in Gurudwara Lakhnaur Sahib, Ambala, in the state of Haryana his native town. He is demanding the release of political prisoners who have already served their jail terms–all of the seven prisoners he has focused on (lifers; including one whose capital punishment has finally been commuted to life after 19 years) have served the minimum mandatory of 14 years. Most of the prisoners are being held without parole for over 20 years and were convicted under the laws that were repealed by the Government itself after pressure from international human rights organizations.

This is Khalsa’s second hunger strike. His strike in 2013 received much attention nationally and internationally with Sikh protests acrossIndiaand the world. He had ended that fast when some of the prisoners were allowed temporary parole and on the assurance that the rest will follow. However, since, there has been little movement on addressing the issue of all the prisoners he has called attention to, in any permanent way. Khalsa is now, thus, fasting unto death–a strike he resumed on the one year anniversary of his 2013 strike.

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