The United States has said that it respects human rights organisation Amnesty International India’s right to express itself, PTI reported on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the country’s state department told reporters that the country supported the right to freedom of expression, “including through civil society”.

Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner acknowledged that Washington had seen reports regarding the Bengaluru Police’s investigation into Amnesty International India in an alleged case of sedition. However, while reaffirming the country’s support for freedom of expression, Toner asked reporters to contact police officials in Bengaluru for more details on the case.

The case against Amnesty was registered earlier this month after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad complained that an event organised by the non-profit on human rights violations in Kashmir was “anti-national”. The NGO has denied the charges against it, with its head, Aakar Patel, saying that the Centre needed to uphold the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution. However, it was later reported that Amnesty had asked its staff to stay out of office on the advice of the city police.