The Ravidassia Community was hurt to hear that members of the Sikh Religion were supporting those who committed to the murder of Saint Ramanand in Vienna, Austria in May 2009. Hardeep Singh (one of the five murderers) had 3 demands whereby two of them were met by Austrian Authorities. However, the demand which was not met and is believed to be being considered is the most hurtful and degrading as these 5 people who committed the murder of Saint Ramanand are asking for a reopening and a re-trial for the Vienna Attacks. We demand that the Austrian Government does NOT allow this as these criminals committed to a cold-blooded murder and were found GUILTY.

** A post on Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare **
Bhai Hardeep Singh of the Vienna 5 Ends his Hunger Strike and
It’s all thanks to YOU - the SOPW Sangat!

SOPW were informed last week that Bhai Hardeep Singh; one of the five Gursikh currently serving life sentences in Austria for the assassination of a controversial sect preacher had been on hunger strike due to human and religious rights violations by the Austrian authorities. One of our SOPW representatives flew out to Vienna the day after we were informed of Bhai Hardeep Singhs hunger strike to obtain a full understanding of the circumstances surrounding this case and to offer our support to him. Thanks to your support in raising awareness, the Austrian authorities acted swiftly and Bhai Hardeep Singhs demands have been taken up by the authorities and some changes have already been implemented and as a result Bhai Hardeep Singh has ended his hunger strike.

Bhai Hardeep Singh’s first demand was that if and when the cells of Gursikh prisoners are searched the correct protocol is followed to avoid the liklehood of a repeat of an incident that took place a fortnight ago where Gutke belonging to the Gursikhs were thrown to the ground and trampled over by jail officers and their sniffer dogs. The Prison authorities have now arranged for a permanent sign to be displayed outside of the cell of the Gursikhs reminding the jail authorities of the procedures that need to be followed if and when a search becomes necessary.

Bhai Hardeep Singh’s second demand was that Bhai Jaspal Singh, another of the Vienna 5 who suffered serious injuries at the time of the assassination of the preacher is provided the urgent medical intervention that he requires. It should be noted Bhai Jaspal Singh has a fractured skull with an inch wide hole which could potentially prove fatal, this injury has seriously affected both his mental and physical well being and these injuries have remained untreated since his arrest over four years ago. The jail authorities have assured Bhai Hardeep Singh that they will carry out an urgent medical assessment of Bhai Jaspal Singh and have agreed that a private doctor can also conduct an independent medical assessment and provide the necessary recommendations to the authorities.

Bhai Hardeep Singh’s final demand was that the Vienna 5 all felt that they had not received a fair trial so the case needed to be reopened. SOPW along with the local Sangat supporting these Sikhs in Vienna have assured Bhai Hardeep Singh that we will utilise all our contacts and resources to seek a speedy retrial. Bhai Hardeep Singh felt confident that this matter is now being taken seriously and we have assured him that with the continued support from the Sangat we will work as fast as we can in this matter.
A bonus that we were not expecting is that the jail authorities have even taken Bhai Jaspal Singh out of solitary confinement where he was previously placed and have arranged for Bhai Hardeep Singh, Bhai Jaspal Singh and Bhai Sukhjeet Singh who are all held in the same prison to now share a cell together.

SOPW, Bhai Hardeep Singh, his fellow Sikh inmates and their supporters in Vienna would like to convey a huge and heartfelt thankyou to the SOPW Sangat for helping to raise awareness. It is due to your support that the lives of these Gursikhs have been made so much more tolerable. SOPW will of course continue to bring you news of any further developments in this case.

On 24th May 2009, when the attack took place in Vienna, there many witnesses to confirm that these 5 men were the killers of Saint Ramanand and therefore the judge who found these 5 men guilty did the right thing and that there is no need for a re-opening or retrial of this case!

It is very hurtful and deeply saddening to know that the Austrian authorities have shown such priority to a murderer and have now began to treat him as a victim along with the other murderers of Saint Ramanand. 

No action, no sentencing and no sympathy will replace the pain we have felt since 24th May 2009. The least we require and all that we demand is JUSTICE to be served by NOT allowing this case to be reopend or re-trialed and to treat these 5 killers as criminals NOT victims. 

This is the opinion of many from across the world. 

We DEMAND justice!