Ebadi to visit Irom Sharmila tomorrow

New Delhi, Nov 25 (UNI) Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi will visit human rights activist Irom Sharmila, who was fighting against death at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hre tomorrow.

''I heard today that a lady by the name of Sharmila has been fasting for the last six years in protest against a discriminatory law. I will visit her tomorrow at 1230 hrs and lend my support to her in defending the civil rights,'' she said.

Thirty-four-year-old Irom Sharmila became an iconic figure for the people of Manipur since launching her hunger strike in late 2000 after soldiers shot 10 young men at a bus stop in a small town in Manipur.

Ms Sharmila is protesting for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which gives soldiers sweeping powers to kill suspected rebels, with virtual immunity from prosecution.

In this context the nobel laureate said, ''An army is there to protect human rights and not to violate them and limit persons.'' Ms Sharmila was arrested and charged with attempted suicide shortly after she started her fast. Since then authorities have been force-feeding her through a nasal tube in the government-run hospital in Manipur's capital Imphal.

Presently, she is admitted in the AIIMS hospital.

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