First woman Amnesty chief

DAKAR, AUG. 19.When the 44-year-old Bangladeshi, Ms. Irene Zubaida Khan, took over yesterday as Secretary-General of the Amnesty International, she became the first in many - a woman, Asian and a Muslim - to head the human rights watchdog.

Ms. Khan, who has served as the UNHCR chief in India, formally replaced the Senegal's Mr. Pierre Sane as head of the London- based organisation after a 21-year career with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Born in Dhaka, she is an expert in public law, international law and human rights law after studies at the University of Manchester, England and at Harvard law school in the U.S.

In 1995 the UNHCR appointed her chief of mission of their Indian bureau, where she was responsible for the protection of 200,000 refugees.

Three years later, she was named head of information and research at the agency, before becoming Deputy Director of the International Protection Service in 1999.

Ms. Khan becomes the 7th Secretary-General of Amnesty International in its 40-year history.

- AFP

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