A prominent international human rights activist, Mary Aileen Diez Bacalso, secretary general of Asian Federation Against involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), was barred from entering the country and repatriated from the Mumbai airport on August 17 night.
Mary, who is the focal person of International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances with 52 members worldwide, was supposed to spend two days in Kashmir to meet human rights activists and take stock of the human rights situation in that restive state.
"They have not specified any reason. We guess it was because she is a human rights activist and has been working with us," said Khurram Parvez, programme coordinator, J&K Coalition of Civil Society.
Khurram said Mary tried for a visa from Indian embassy in Manila on Aug 1. "Though her papers were in order, her application was not accepted on the ground that 'time was too short', but having gone through her documents, they were completely aware that she was travelling to India on Aug 17," he said.
Mary who arrived at Mumbai airport around 10pm on Aug 17, was immediately taken to a separate office where around nine officials were present. "Without asking her any questions, officials started filling up a form, which Mary later realised was the form for refusal to land. None of her questions were answered. Instead, she was asked when was the last time she had visited India, which was in Nov 2009, and also "what bad happened then," he said.
20/08/14 Ishfaq-ul-Hassan/Daily News & Analysis
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Mary, who is the focal person of International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances with 52 members worldwide, was supposed to spend two days in Kashmir to meet human rights activists and take stock of the human rights situation in that restive state.
"They have not specified any reason. We guess it was because she is a human rights activist and has been working with us," said Khurram Parvez, programme coordinator, J&K Coalition of Civil Society.
Khurram said Mary tried for a visa from Indian embassy in Manila on Aug 1. "Though her papers were in order, her application was not accepted on the ground that 'time was too short', but having gone through her documents, they were completely aware that she was travelling to India on Aug 17," he said.
Mary who arrived at Mumbai airport around 10pm on Aug 17, was immediately taken to a separate office where around nine officials were present. "Without asking her any questions, officials started filling up a form, which Mary later realised was the form for refusal to land. None of her questions were answered. Instead, she was asked when was the last time she had visited India, which was in Nov 2009, and also "what bad happened then," he said.
20/08/14 Ishfaq-ul-Hassan/Daily News & Analysis
