The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

America is a shining example, a beacon for freedom for the world. You
and your foreign policy team have indicated that you intend to continue
defending the cause of freedom in the world.

In India, tens of thousands of Sikhs are being held in illegal
detention without charge or trial. Some of them have been held since
1984. Thousands of other minorities are being held in illegal detention
as well. Amnesty International has published reports on the political
prisoners in India.

One of the cornerstones of democracy is the right to a fair trial.
These people have not been given any trial at all. Yet they continue to
rot in jail. This is unacceptable for a country that bills itself as
"the world's largest democracy." How can a democracy have political
prisoners?

India has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, according to The
Politics of Genocide by Inderjit Singh Jaijee. It has also killed over
70,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, over 200,000 Christians, and tens of
thousands of Dalits ("black untouchables," the aboriginal people of
south Asia), Assamese, Tamils, Manipuris, and others. The Indian
government appears to have carried out the massacre of 35 Sikhs in
Chithi Singhpora in March, according to the New York Times Magazine of
December 31. Since Christmas 1998, there has been a sustained attack
on Christianity, including raping nuns, burning churches and prayer
halls, killing priests, and other anti-Christian activities.

We urge you to bring up the issue of political prisoners with the
Indian government. Please use whatever influence you have to see to it
that all political prisoners are released. If they are not, then
America should rethink its aid to India.

America is the bastion of freedom in the world. Your influence as
President of the United States can make a difference for these political
prisoners. We respectfully ask you to do whatever you can to secure
their release and to see to it that persons are not held in jail without
charge or trial. That will help bring real freedom, peace, security,
and stability to the subcontinent.

Sincerely,

1. The Hon. Dan Burton, M.C.
2. The Hon. Edolphus Towns, M.C.
3. The Hon. Roscoe W. Bartlett, M.C.
4. The Hon. Wally Herger, M.C.
5. The Hon. John T. Doolittle, M.C.
6. The Hon. Cynthia McKinney, M.C.
7. The Hon. George P. Radanovich, M.C.
8. The Hon. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, M.C.
9. The Hon. Collin Peterson, M.C.
10. The Hon. James Traficant, M.C.
11. The Hon. Peter King, M.C.
12. The Hon. Philip M. Crane, M.C.
13. The Hon. Bobby Rush, M.C.
14. The Hon. Gary Condit, M.C.
15. The Hon. Alcee Hastings, M.C.
16. The Hon. Martin Frost, M.C.
17. The Hon. Max Sandlin, M.C.
18. The Hon. Bob Riley, M.C.
19. The Hon. Ciro D. Rodriguez, M.C.