Amnesty International researcher denied Belarusian visa

08.11.2012 / 13:06 / English Просмотры: 1052 Обсудить

Amnesty International researcher Heather McGill has been denied a Belarusian visa, the global human rights watchdog said.

Amnesty International said that it was "ironic" that Ms. McGill was refused a visa to enter Belarus on October 10, World Day against the Death Penalty. "Belarus is the last country in Europe, which still carries out executions," the organization said.

Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International, wrote to Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey and the Belarusian embassy in the UK, requesting explanations for the visa denial, but no response has been forthcoming.

The organization described the visa denial as the "result of a political decision not to cooperate with Amnesty International, and to deny its representatives entry to the country."

"This decision comes at a time of deteriorating human rights situation in the country. Amnesty International has been documenting the harassment and ill-treatment of prisoners of conscience who are being pressured into signing confessions," the organization said.

Amnesty International said that it "always aims to work constructively with governments, and it will continue to seek opportunities to present its concerns and engage with representatives of the Belarusian government." "The organization hopes that the Belarusian government will reconsider its decision not to grant access to Amnesty International," the statement said.

Ms. McGill repeatedly visited Belarus in the past, criticizing the country's human rights record. During her most recent visit in December last year, she joined a group of Belarusian human rights defenders in delivering signatures for the abolition of capital punishment in Belarus to the Presidential Administration. //BelaPAN