Gita Sahgal

Gita Sahgal (born 1956 or 1957) is a British writer, journalist, film director, and women's rights and human rights activist, whose work focusses on the issues of feminism, fundamentalism and racism.

She has been a co-founder and active member of women's organisations. She has also been head of Amnesty International's Gender Unit, and has opposed the oppression of women in particular by religious fundamentalists.

In February 2010, she was suspended by Amnesty as head of its Gender Unit after she was quoted by ''The Sunday Times'' criticising Amnesty for its high-profile associations with Moazzam Begg, director of the campaign group Cage (formerly Cageprisoners), that represents men detained at Guantanamo under extrajudicial conditions. She referred to him as "Britain's most famous supporter of the Taliban".

Amnesty responded that she was suspended "for not raising these issues internally". Speaking in her support were novelist Salman Rushdie, journalist Christopher Hitchens and others, who criticised Amnesty for the affiliation. Begg disputed her claims of his jihadi connections and said that he did not consider anyone a terrorist who had not been convicted of terrorism.

Sahgal left Amnesty International on 9 April 2010. Provided by Wikipedia