Update om retten til at bære kirpan i Danmark

Jeg skrev tidligere om de danske Sikher og deres kamp for retten til at bære deres kirpan. Det ser deværre ud til at de tabte i denne omgang.

AAHRUS (DENMARK): The Sikh youth Ripudaman Singh,
who was facing trial because he was wearing a
traditional sword of a baptised Sikh when he
visited the United States embassy in Denmark, has
finally lost the case though the High Court
remitted the six-day jail sentence. The sword
however has been confiscated. The verdict was
pronounced on Tuesday. The City Court had found
the prosecuted guilty in violating the weapon law
and had fined the prosecuted for 3,000 DKK and
confiscated the knife. Also the High Court found
the prosecuted guilty for the violation of the
weapon law, but changed the sentence delivered
earlier by the City Court, so that the fine has been annulled.
The argument of the High Court is: “After the
production of evidence in front of the High Court
it is found proven that the prosecuted at the
moment named by the indictment, at the entrance
of the American Embassy in Copenhagen, was
carrying a kirpan in a public place. “For these
reasons, as stated by the City Court, it is
further proved that this kirpan must be
considered as a knife, that is included in weapon
law § 4, par. 1, 1st period. It is therefore
forbidden to carry a knife in public places,
unless it happens in relation to the practice of
a profession, for use in hunting, fishing or
practice of a sport or has a similarly
recognisable purpose. “After this production of
evidence, included the explanation of the
prosecuted, has to be reduced to the reason, that
the prosecuted, being a Sikh, has carried the knife as a religious symbol.
“For these reasons, as stated by the City Court,
it is agreed that the circumstance of the
prosecuted carrying the knife as a Sikh, cannot
be regarded as a similarly recognisable purpose,
included in the decision for the exceptions in
weapon law § 4, par. 1, 1st period, second part.
“It is moreover agreed, that this interpretation
of weapon law § 4, par. 1, is not in conflict
with art. 9 of the European Convention on Human
Rights, since measures against the possession of
weapons like this are necessary in a democratic
society on account of public safety and to
protect the public order, cf. art. 9, par. 2 of
the Convention. “It is therefore agreed, that the
prosecuted is guilty, as it had been established
by the judgement of the City Court.
“After all the information about the prosecuted,
the reason for the prosecuted to possess a knife
and the other circumstances of the case, such
exceptional extenuating circumstances are found,
that the punishment should be dropped, cf. Penal
Code § 83, 2nd period.” “Two voters agreed, after
the circumstances of the case, that it is
required in order to prevent further violations
of the law, that the knife this case was about
should be confiscated, cf. Penal Code § 75, 2nd
part, nr. 1.” “One voter finds it not necessary
to confiscate the knife to prevent further
violations, in regard to the information that the
prosecuted got the knife (kirpan) when he got
baptised in 1996 and the circumstance that the
prosecuted, following his statement, has
respected the judgement of the City Court and has
not been carrying a kirpan for 2 years. This
voter votes therefore to free the prosecuted from
the claim for confiscation. ” Regarding this
question the sentence is pronounced after the
majority among the voters, so that the decision
of the City Court about confiscation is confirmed.
The High Court confirms therefore the judgment,
even though the punishment by means of a fine is
dropped. Earlier, the Akal Takht jathedar
Joginder Singh Vedanti had promised to pursue the
case but little was heard of whether this was done.
http://www.sikhnet.com/…sArchive/F4196EEC29C1C6FB 872573F4005E0C87
Jagpal S Tiwana
Dartmouth, Canada

Er sikherne frontkæmpere for retten til at bære våben?

Jeg har aldrig vidst meget om Sikhismen men var da klar over at de blandt andet var kendt for at bære kniv (kirpan), så jeg satte mig ned for at skrive til den officielle danske sikhmenighed, for at spørge hvordan det lader sig gøre i et land med så strikse våbenlove:

Tusind tak for din mail.

Du har ret i at Kirpan’en er en vigtig del af Sikhernes identitet og beklædning, for at læse mere om den kan du se følgende link:

http://www.religion.dk/artikel/72664:Andet–Sikhere-er-krigere-og-healere
ordet healere er dog forkert oversat, og det skal rigtigt betyde “Saints” altså spirituelle væsener.

Vi har haft problemer med den danske lovgivning og vi har en retssag kørende som muligvis vil blive taget op i menneskerettighedsdomstolen. Indvil videre bærer Sikherne en lille Kirpan på under den tilladte grænse for ikke at komme i klammeri med loven, men vi håber selvfølgelig på at kunne få lov til at bære vores religiøse symbol, da det ikke er et angrebsvåben, men derimod et symbol på retten til at forsvare sig selv samt de nærmeste.

nedenstående artikel fortæller lidt om retssagen der kører.
http://ekstrabladet.dk/nyheder/samfund/article63616.ece

Du er velkommen til at skrive igen hvis du ikke helt fik svar på dit spørgsmål

mvh. Gurdwara Singh Sabha

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From: xxx@live.com
To: @sikh.dk
Subject: Kirpan
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 18:26:23 -0500

Kære rette vedkomende.
Jeg skriver til jer fordi jeg er interesseret i emnet våben og våbentilladelse som jeg blogger om på min hjemmeside https://rettentilselvforsvar.wordpress.com/
Jeg kan forstå at jeres kniv, eller kirpan, er en vigtig del af sikh beklædningen og kunne godt tænke mig at vide hvordan det lader sig gøre i det danske samfund. I følge loven er det som bekendt forbudt at bære knive med en klinge på over 7 centimeter, så hvordan bærer i knive her i landet? Er en kirpan traditionelt mindre end 7 cm eller har i speciel tilladelse med udgangspunkt i religiøse eller kulturelle hensyn?Med venlig hilsen og på forhånd tak for svaret.
Bernard

Jeg vil forsøge at følge sagen og holde jer opdateret omkring sikhernes kamp for tilladelse til at bære deres kirpan. Bemærk at dette ikke er en stillingtagen for eller imod sikh-religionen ellers dens værdier som sådan, men en interesse i deres kamp for at bære et våben som ikke kun er en religiøs beklædningsgenstand men også et forsvarsvåben. Hvis de får medhold i menneskerettighedsdomstolen åbner det op for at alle andre danskere ligeledes kan kræve retten til at bære kniv til brug for selvforsvar.

Sikherne ønskes i hvert fald held og lykke herfra.