Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei said on Thursday he has been denied a six month business visa by the U.K. government on the grounds he did not declare a "criminal conviction" on his application.
Instead of a six month business visa, Ai received a 20-day visa from Sept. 9 to 29 to attend the opening of his exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, according to DPA.
The U.K. Visas and Immigration Department, in a letter, claims that Ai had submitted false information regarding his criminal records in his application for business visa, according to The Telegraph.
"It is a matter of public record that you have previously received a criminal conviction in China, and you have not declared this," the letter said. "Exceptionally it has been decided to grant you entry clearance outside the immigration rules for your stated dates of travel to the U.K.," it added.
The outspoken anti-government Chinese artist, in a separate Instagram post, said he has never been charged or convicted of a crime and had attempted "to clarify this claim with the U.K. Visas and Immigration Department and the British Embassy in Beijing over several telephone conversations," according to BBC.
"But the representatives insisted on the accuracy of their sources and refused to admit any misjudgement. This decision is a denial of Ai Weiwei's rights as an ordinary citizen," Ai continued, referring to himself.
The decision prompted condemnation from rights groups and an outrage on internet worldwide. "In a gesture of either craven capitulation to Beijing or inexcusable ignorance, U.K. immigration officials have denied six-month business visa to the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei on the grounds that he failed to declare a criminal conviction in China," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Ai, 58, posted the letter from the U.K. Visa and Immigration Department on his Instagram account.
A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Jul 29, 2015 at 8:43pm PDT
