The Indian government has denied a visa to the secretary-general of Amnesty International without giving a reason, officials from the London-based human rights group said yesterday.
| "No reason. We just don't like her. Sorry." |
Vijay Nagaraj, an Amnesty official in India, confirmed that the group's secretary-general, Irene Khan Zubeida, had been denied a visa. He said he could not comment further.
Amnesty International has written critical reports about the conduct of Indian security forces in Kashmir and the lack of police intervention in religious riots in Gujarat last year in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. "We don't want to make any big statements about it. It is not a secret that Amnesty International has had many difficulties to get access to India," Amnesty spokeswoman Magda Kowalczuk said in London. She confirmed that Zubeida had been scheduled to visit the Amnesty International office in New Delhi from July 9, and said negotiations with the government were going on so the trip could be made 'sometime soon." The Times of India said the group had issued a report earlier this month claiming Indians' constitutional rights continued to be violated in Gujarat. |