Brussels, 27/08/2009 (Agence Europe) - Amnesty International (AI) has called on Canada to waive the obligation for citizens of the Czech Republic to hold a tourist visa, as it considers the visa requirement is in breach of human rights. The NGO is also highly critical of a similar decision to impose visa requirements on Mexican nationals. On 24 August, therefore, AI sent a letter along these lines to the Canadian minister for citizenship, immigration and multi-culturalism, Jason Kenney. In the letter, AI calls on Canada to reverse its decision and to waive the visa requirement or to set in place measures that ensure it will not serve as an obstacle to individuals seeking refugee status. The organisation states its hope that the Canadian asylum system will continue to be accessible for Czech nationals as there are cases of human rights violations in the Czech Republic. Although the NGO does recognise states have a lawful right to control the entry of foreign nationals into their territories, it states its clear opposition to the explicit use of visas to restrict access to refugee determination procedures. The growing number of asylum seekers from the Czech Republic, especially from the Roma minority, has meant that Ottawa reintroduced the visa requirement for Czech citizens in July. This situation has caused considerable tension at European level as Prague has threatened to bring in a unilateral visa requirement for Canadian nationals. The European Commission is currently attempting mediation with the Canadian authorities (EUROPE 9950), but news from Canada does not give the impression the situation will soon be addressed. On 19 August, the Canadian press reported comments by Nicholas Fortier, who is spokesman for the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, pointing out that Canada did not intend to review its decision concerning the visa requirement imposed on Czech nationals. He stated that the measure had made it possible to significantly reduce the number of requests for refugee status in Canada, and that it had also helped to lighten the burden on the system for processing this kind of request. The number of refugee status requests submitted by Czech nationals was brought down to just three during the 30 days after 16 July. Two weeks before the entry into force of the visa requirement, 155 requests for refugee status had been submitted. According to the press in Prague, Czech representatives held discussions with the Canadian authorities so that the visa requirement would be lifted as soon as possible. However, the Canadian representative denied such discussions had taken place. He explained that the Czech Republic and Canada have regular contacts on a large number of subjects, but not on visas as such. (B.C./transl.jl)