India says it wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s government to do more to prevent people from misusing their right to freedom of expression to “incite violence and glorify terrorists as martyrs.”
The statement was made during a Universal Periodic Review session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday.
In the statement, a representative of India’s permanent mission to the UN also recommended that Canada continue its progress in fighting discrimination against Indigenous peoples, work to tackle racial profiling and help promote equal pay for women, among other things.
READ MORE: Pro-separatist Sikh Canadians praise Trudeau, slam Indian government and PM Modi
The recommendation pertaining to freedom of expression is particularly significant in light of the Indian government’s discomfort with what it has said is the leniency shown by the Trudeau government towards Sikh separatist elements in Canada.
The issue was a major flashpoint of Trudeau’s trip to India in February.
The reference to terrorists being glorified as martyrs could be seen as a reference to posters of Talwinder Singh Parmar — believed to be responsible for the 1985 Air India bombing — being displayed at a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C.
READ MORE: India could seek extradition of alleged Sikh militant based in Surrey, B.C.
India recently also filed a First Information Report against a Surrey man, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who it accuses of plotting to carry out a major terrorist attack in India.
Nijjar has previously admitted to speaking out in favour of Sikh separatism, but denied being involved in any acts of violence.
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