Nicosia: Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have barred an Amnesty International expert from entering the country, the London-based rights group said yesterday.
James Lynch, Amnesty’s acting head of business and human rights, was on his way on Tuesday to participate in a conference in Dubai, when immigration authorities at the airport refused him entry.
Lynch had been expected to speak about the responsibility of corporations to ensure migrant workers’ rights are protected in the construction boom across the Gulf, an Amnesty statement said.
He was forced to book a flight back to Britain last morning.
No justification was provided, but Lynch saw an Arabic-language deportation order held by an airport official, which said that he was prevented from entering “for reasons of security”, Amnesty said.
Amnesty’s regional chief Said Boumedouha slammed the ban as “absurd”.
AFP
