Surrey man under threat from India: UN human rights experts

A Surrey man who has been critical of India’s government is under threat of violence, according to a group of human rights experts with the United Nations who are urging the Canadian government to “accelerate” protections for him.

Moninder Singh is a Sikh activist who visited the United Nations in Geneva earlier this year to raise awareness about India allegedly targeting Sikh activists around the world, including in Canada.

Now, a group of five UN special rapporteurs have written a letter to Ottawa with their concerns about Singh’s safety and attempts to silence his criticism.

“We are deeply concerned at the allegations that Mr. Moninder Singh appears to have been targeted directly before or after instances of cooperation with or reporting to United Nations entities in relation to the targeting of Sikh activists by Indian authorities,” the letter said. “These allegations, if true, may constitute unlawful intimidation and reprisals in direct retaliation for Mr. Moninder Singh’s human rights advocacy and cooperation with United Nations human rights representatives and mechanisms.”

Singh is the leader of the Sikh Federation of Canada, and police agencies have notified him multiple times about threats to his safety.

Singh was close friends with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist who was gunned down in Surrey in 2023, a crime that then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in, a charge that was backed up by Canadian intelligence officials.