Ensaaf - End Impunity. Achieve Justice.

Cast Your Vote in Remembrance of Sikh Victims of Human Rights Violations

A substantial opportunity has fallen into the lap of the Sikh community. In light of Jakara's recent Chase Community Giving win on Facebook, this grassroots nonprofit has moved into round two for a chance to win one million dollars.

Email from Board Chair

I'm quickly forwarding you this email from Ensaaf's Board Chair, Alison Hillman. She's also a program officer at the Open Society Institute. I was inspired to write because she's right—we accomplish a phenomenal amount with our small team.

Happy Human Rights Day! (Why it Matters)

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and two years later, the General Assembly invited the world to observe December 10th as Human Rights Day. But this is not a history lesson.

Thank You Video Tribute & Special Appeal from Ensaaf

This summer, Ensaaf interviewed over 1,000 individuals - including hundreds of survivors - to capture stories of disappearances, unlawful killings, and torture in Amritsar during the Punjab counterinsurgency. We created a short video tribute to show our immense gratitude for the generosity and trust given to us by our donors.

Ensaaf Commemorates 25th Anniversary of 1984 Pogroms with BART Ad Campaign & Mercury News Op-Ed

On November 2, Ensaaf launched an ad campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area's metro system, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the November 1984 pogroms of Sikhs in India. On the same day, the Mercury News also published Ensaaf's op-ed discussing the anniversary of the pogroms and its continuing impact on India and even the Bay Area.

TIME Magazine Interviews Ensaaf: Help Move Nov. 1984 Awareness to the Homepage

Time Magazine, in an article released today, quoted Ensaaf Co-Director Jaskaran Kaur on the total lack of justice for survivors of the November 1984 pogroms of Sikhs in India. If enough supporters click on the link and email the article,it will be read by thousands of more individuals, and will send the message that violations of human rights in India will not be ignored.

Operation Blue Star: The Launch of a Decade of Systematic Abuses and Impunity

Operation "Blue Star" marked the beginning of the Government of India's systematic policy in Punjab of destroying fundamental human rights in the name of "national security," and launched a new era of impunity and the erosions of the rule of law in India. View our photo essay.

Ensaaf Marks Five Years of Working to End Impunity and Achieve Justice

Thank you for your support these five years, since our launch in April 2004. However, we are far from done, and we are running out of time as survivors die and documents are lost or destroyed.

Job Opening: Join Ensaaf as a Program Assistant

Ensaaf is seeking a highly organized and motivated Program Assistant with excellent communication skills to assist our Documentation program, as well as perform administrative duties.

New Statistical Analysis Points To Widespread Human Rights Violations by Indian Government Authorities in Punjab

Ensaaf and the Benetech Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) released a report today presenting verifiable quantitative findings on mass disappearances and extrajudicial executions in the Indian state of Punjab, contradicting the Indian government’s portrayal of the Punjab counterinsurgency as a successful and "humane" campaign.

Help End Impunity in India: Donate to Ensaaf Today

Because people like you gave to Ensaaf last year, we published a groundbreaking report with Human Rights Watch that impacted a key case in India, giving more families a chance at compensation for the murder of their loved ones.

Watch Eyewitnesses Describe a Faked Encounter in Punjab

Ensaaf has released its new multimedia platform Watch/Listen that brings together Ensaaf videos and photo essays, and will also include podcasts in the future. The latest video added to Ensaaf's collection today is The Extrajudicial Killing of Kulwant Singh.

India: Time to Deliver Justice for Atrocities in Punjab

The Indian government must take concrete steps to hold accountable members of its security forces who killed, "disappeared," and tortured thousands of Sikhs during its counterinsurgency campaign in Punjab, Human Rights Watch and Ensaaf said in a new report released today.

Khalra Murder Case: High Court Upholds Convictions of Five Police Officers; Acquits One Officer

A division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued an oral judgment in the appeals relating to the convictions of six police officers for their roles in the abduction and murder of human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra. The High Court upheld the convictions of Punjab police officers Jaspal Singh, Satnam Singh, Surinderpal Singh, Pritpal Singh, and Jasbir Singh, and acquitted Amarjit Singh of all charges.

Anniversary of the Abduction of Jaswant Singh Khalra: Twelve Years On, KPS Gill Still Free

Twelve years ago, on September 6, 1995, the Punjab Police abducted human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The police held Khalra in illegal detention for almost two months, tortured him, and murdered him in late October 1995.

PHR Responds to Indian National Human Rights Commission in Punjab Case

Physicians for Human Rights and Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture issued a letter in response to the NHRC's order rejecting its independent report and attacking its credibility.

Ensaaf Kicks Off Year-End Giving Campaign, Launches New Website

Ensaaf has launched a new website that makes it even easier to contribute to the movement for truth and justice for victims of gross human rights violations in Punjab, India.

High Court Case Filed Against Former Police Chief KPS Gill for Murder of Human Rights Activist Jaswant Singh Khalra

Mrs. Khalra, represented by High Court attorney Rajvinder Bains, filed the petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) refused to investigate and prosecute Mr. Gill. Ensaaf worked with Mr. Bains to draft the petition and apply the international law doctrine of superior responsibility.

Khalra’s Last International Speech Highlights Mass Crimes of KPS Gill

In his last speech made to a Canadian audience, released today with subtitles by Ensaaf, Jaswant Singh Khalra discusses his investigations into the disappearances and his readiness to die to expose the truth about these crimes.

The Twelve Year Cover-Up: Disappearance of Human Rights Attorney Sukhwinder Singh Bhatti

Ensaaf submitted a communication to the UN Special Representative on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders. Relying on court papers and interviews with Mr. Bhatti's wife Harcharanjit Kaur Bhatti, the communication provides a detailed summary of Mr. Bhatti's case and identifies key perpetrators.

International Human Rights Groups Call for Prosecution of Gill for Murder of Khalra

Given the weight of the evidence available in the public domain about Mr. Gill's role in this case, the CBI must undertake an impartial and thorough inquiry as soon as possible and then refer the case for appropriate prosecution.

Punjab Cops Convicted of 1995 Murder of Activist Khalra

On Friday, November 18, 2005, Additional District Judge Bhupinder Singh in Patiala convicted six Punjab police officials in the 1995 abduction and murder case of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.

Expert Medical Study Documents Torture and Psychological Trauma Suffered by Families of the “Disappeared” in Punjab

A six-member PHR/Bellevue investigative team with extensive experience in documenting torture and human rights abuses conducted this study in Amritsar, Punjab in May and June 2005 at the request of Ensaaf.

Punjab Police: Fabricating Terrorism through Illegal Detention and Torture

In August and September 2005, documented 28 cases of detention of Punjabis accused of militancy-related activities. Its study reveals that, in contravention of international and domestic laws, Indian security forces routinely resorted to illegal and incommunicado detention. Further, the Punjab police frequently tortured the detainees.

10th Anniversary of Abduction, Torture, & Murder of Human Rights Defender Jaswant Singh Khalra: Human Rights Groups Send Joint Letter to Congress

On September 6, 2005, Ensaaf, Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law sent a joint letter and background packet to the Congressional Human Rights Caucus urging it hold hearings into these “disappearances” and killings and urge the Indian government to comply with its obligations under international law to provide justice and redress to the victims of human rights violations committed by its security forces.

India: 20 Years of Impunity for Sikh Massacres Must End

On the twentieth anniversary of the systematic massacres of Sikhs throughout India, human rights organizations call for a full account of the atrocities and a sustained effort to prosecute its planners and perpetrators.

Twenty Years of Impunity: The November 1984 Massacres of Sikhs in India

Ensaaf releases its first report Twenty Years of Impunity: The November 1984 Pogroms of Sikhs in India. This in-depth 150-page report analyzes thousands of pages of previously unavailable affidavits, government records and arguments submitted to the 1985 Misra Commission, established to examine the Sikh Massacres in Delhi, Kanpur, and Bokaro.

New Organization Enforces Human Rights and Fights Impunity in India

Ensaaf—a new U.S.–based organization launched to enforce human rights and fight impunity in India—works with survivors to engage in advocacy and outreach, documents violations, and educates the public about human rights abuses in India.