Rights groups to take Afzal Guru's case to European Parliament

LONDON: UK-based South Asian Human Rights Groups are planning to take the case of Indian Parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal Guru, currently on a death row, to the European Parliament during President APJ Abdul Kalam's visit to Brussels later this month.

In a meeting organised by the South Asia Solidarity Group here, the activists have decided to bring details of Afzal's case before the Eurepoen Parliament.

"The meeting decided to urgently bring the details of Afzal's case and miscarriage of justice before the European Parliament," Amrit Wilson, a member of the group, said.

She said four British MPs, Jeremy Corbyn, Roger Godsiff, John McDonell and George Galloway, have already signed a letter to President Kalam urging him to show mercy to Afzal.

"The case is now likely to be raised at the European Parliament in time for the Indian President's visit on April 24," she said.

About 60 people, including several eminent human rights and civil liberties activists and legal experts from London, Birmingham and Manchester attended the first meeting here in defence of Afzal Guru, she said.

Afzal was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for plotting the 2001 attack on the Parliament, and his mercy petition is pending before the President.

Moazzam Begg, one of nine Britons detained at Guantanamo who was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, spoke about his own experiences and drew parallels with Afzal's case.

Many other campaigners also pledged their support for Afzal Guru. They included Amjad Hussain, brother of Mirza Tahir Hussain who was released last November from death row in Pakistan after 18 years.