Will a new human rights law prevent Modi from entering UK?

Could a new law prohibiting the entry of those accused of human rights violations be used to prevent Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s entry into the UK? While the UK presently doesn’t have any laws related to preventing individuals from entering the country, the government’s Human Rights Report to be released by the Foreign Office today is expected to introduce a new law that prohibits the entry of individuals from non-EU nations accused of human rights violations, including murder and torture.  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.” A UK-based rights group South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG) is seeking that the law be applied to Modi if he should plan to travel to the UK. “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 Mr. Modi,” Amrit Wilson, spokesperson for the SASG, was quoted as saying in the Hindu . The decision of the SASG to limit Modi’s entry into the UK comes close on the heels of the US saying that they had not changed their visa policy towards the Gujarat CM who has been denied a visa to visit the country since 2005. While Modi has been accused of being complicit in the post-Godhra communal riots of 2002 when he was Chief Minister, he has not been convicted by a court in connection with any of the riots cases so far. Also the Guardian reports that while the new law would not constitute a blanket ban on those violating human rights and UK ministers could allow their entry if it was deemed as part of the country’s engagement on human rights with the leaders.