**sopw Press Release** A Debt Honoured - Sopw With The Sangat's Support Awards 5 Lakh Rupees To Each Of The Six Prisoners.

[WaljinderSingh 834]

Sikh Organisation For Prisoners Welfare (SOPW)

Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa’s peaceful campaign has led to the start of a process to release six long-serving Sikh political prisoners, by securing their release on parole. He played his part in awakening the wider public to the ongoing injustices against Sikhs in India. As part of this movement we saw people from all over the world, raising awareness and taking part in hunger strikes, including five Singh’s who spent five bitterly cold days and nights, outside the Indian Embassy in London.

For over five years, SOPW has been committed to the welfare of all Sikh political prisoners. This process consists of the following steps:

- Once we identify a prisoner, we immediately take care of his or her basic needs, eg. food, clothes, toiletries, books, magazines and newspapers, to make prison life a little easier.
- We talk to them to find out who they have left behind in their family; elderly parents with no other support, a family member in need of medical attention, their children whose education is interrupted, a sibling who is due to be married and of course, their family home which may be in need of urgent repairs. Our fieldworkers remain in regular contact with the prisoner as well as his/her family; providing advice, support and financial aid.
- Often, we find that the Sikhs had inadequate legal representation, with the lawyers taking the money but not getting the results. So we hire the best legal team for them, personally monitor the court case, cover the necessary bail bonds and other hidden costs involved in getting the prisoner released. Financing the lawyers makes up a large part of our costs as some cases need to be taken all the way to High Court and even Supreme Court level, where the expertise of just one lawyer can cost upwards of £10,000.
- Our support does not stop upon release. We run a rehabilitation programme; which provides the means for self-sufficiency, so that they can support their own family and rebuild their lives with dignity after decades in Indian jails. Our philosophy is to “thrive, not just survive”.

We have tried our best to support these prisoners through all of the above stages. The SOPW team feel it is in keeping with our religious and moral duty to support these Singh’s as they taste freedom for the first time in many years. We have also been inundated with messages from the worldwide Sangat, who wish to see these Singh’s supported.

IN KEEPING WITH SOPW AND THE SANGAT’S WISHES, WE HUMBLY ANNOUNCE A REHABILITATION PACKAGE OF 500,000 Rs (over £5,000) TO EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SIX;

Gurmeet Singh
Shamsher Singh
Lakhwinder Singh
Lal Singh
Varyam Singh
Gurdeep Singh Khera

They will be starting their lives again from the beginning, after spending over 18 years behind bars – a time during which the world has changed. We are not giving these brave Singh’s a handout. United, we the Sikh Nation, are paying back the debt to those who stood up against an oppressive State system and brought to an end the mindless killing of thousands of our innocent Sikh youth.

We have the following nominated volunteers around the global Sikh community, who have put themselves forward for this project and will assist you with your enquiries:
SOPW (UK)-0300 999 0187
INDIA: BHAI RAJINDER PAL SINGH-0091 935 772 3874
USA: BHAI BALBIR SINGH (CHICAGO)-001 937 776 3358
CANADA: BHAI AVTAR SINGH-001 778 846 8419
ITALY: BHAI JASVIR SINGH-0039 3899 838 761 OR BHAI SATNAM SINGH-0039 3332 110 444
SPAIN: BHAI GAGANDEEP SINGH-0034 600 772 727 OR BHAI LABH SINGH 0034 632 136 018
GERMANY: BHAI GURPAL SINGH ‘PALA’-0049 1762 1695 928
HOLLAND: BHAI HARJIT SINGH-0031 620 682 862 OR BHAI BALHAAR SINGH-0031 653 835 018
FRANCE: BHAI SATNAM SINGH ‘GATKA’-0033 628 232 936
SWEDEN: BHAI RAMANDEEP SINGH-004 687 249 058

If you, the Sangat, wish to contribute to this seva, here are the following ways you can donate:

FROM OVERSEAS:
International IBAN no: GB75MIDL40421341572733
Swift/BIC code: MIDLGB2155M

FROM THE UK:
Bank: HSBC
Account Number: 41572733
Sort Code:40-42-13

You can send a cheque, made payable to SOPW, PO Box 690, Southall, Middlesex UB1 9QL.

To donate online: www.justgiving.com/SOPW

Or visit our website to make a donation:www.prisonerwelfare.org