Moninder Singh: UN experts urge Canada to protect activist

Five independent United Nations rights experts have urged Canada to take all feasible measures to protect Sikh activist Moninder Singh, a Canadian national who they said has repeatedly been warned by Canadian authorities of credible threats to his life.

In a June 3 letter made public two months later, the experts raised “concerning allegations of foreign intimidation and reprisals” against Singh. They said Singh has received four Canadian “duty to warn” notices since 2022 about credible and imminent threats.

The experts urged Canada to protect Singh, his family and similarly situated people in Canada. They also called on Canadian authorities to speed up investigations, hold perpetrators accountable, provide remedies to victims and prevent recurrence.

The letter was written by UN special rapporteurs on rights while countering terrorism, peaceful assembly, human rights defenders and freedom of religion, along with the expert on promoting a democratic international order. Such experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council but are independent and do not speak for the United Nations itself.

A copy of the letter was also sent to the Indian government. Singh visited the United Nations in Geneva earlier this year to seek international action over India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists abroad and broader allegations of transnational repression.

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

The issue drew wider attention after the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a friend of Singh’s, near the Sikh temple he led in a Vancouver suburb. Canada’s then-prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of involvement in that killing, an allegation India denied.