Amnesty International have dubbed Leeds United's decision to head to Burma on a post-season tour "odd", but stopped short of advising the Whites to call off their trip.
Leeds announced on Tuesday morning that they will head to Burma to play friendly matches on 9th and 11th May.
The announcement met with condemnation in some quarters due to the political unrest in Burma, while Amnesty International say some people are living under a system which has echoes of apartheid.
Amnesty International will not join calls for Leeds to abandon the trip, but are surprised that the Championship side are heading to Burma.
In a statement, Amnesty International's director in the UK, Kate Allen, said: "The Myanmar authorities have continued the brutal crackdown despite a global outcry.
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"Far too often sporting events have been used as a cheap PR tool to ‘sportswash’ the stain of a country’s human rights record.
"We’re not going to tell Leeds United where they should and shouldn’t visit, but if the tour does go ahead, the club should use its leverage to call for an end to the crackdown and raise with the Burmese authorities the plight of the hundreds of thousands of families who have been brutalised and forced to flee their homes."
Leeds have insisted that the areas of the country they are to play their friendly matches in are safe.
The Yorkshire giants also claim that they are not going to Burma as guests of the government and hope the trip will cast the club in the role of pioneers, helping to forge new relationships and break down boundaries.
