Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A new law banning the entry of non-European Union citizens accused of human rights violations can be used to bar Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from entering Britain.
On Sunday, human rights campaigners said they would demand that the proposed rules be used to prohibit Modi against the backdrop of the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots in Gujarat in which 1,200 people were killed.
Amrit Wilson, a spokesperson for the UK-based rights group South Asia Solidarity Group, said, "We as a group are not in favour of Britain monitoring human rights abuses in other countries but if there is going to be such a law it should be used to ban Narendra Modi because a wide range of human rights groups and independent organisations, including Amnesty, have noted his role in the Gujarat genocide."
“We hope political considerations will not override this in case of Modi,’’ Wilson added.
The new rules are expected to be announced today as part of the UK government's Human Rights Report.
According to the Guardian, the new rule is expected to say, “Foreign nationals from outside the European Economic Area may only come to the UK if they satisfy the requirements of the immigration rules. Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the UK.”
The Gujarat CM’s visit to Britain in 2003 had led to widespread protests. He then had to call off his visit in 2005 after rights groups threatened to get an arrest warrant against him.
Of late, the US also refused to reverse its 2005 decision not to issue visa to Modi.
First Published: Monday, April 30, 2012, 11:36