Amnesty International called for "urgent action" over the recent spate of arrests and detentions of activists in the North of Sri Lanka, and for Balendran Jeyakumari, a prominent disappearances campaigner to be released or charged with a recognisable criminal offence.
In a statement released Friday, the organisation said,
In a statement released Friday, the organisation said,
Human rights defenders in Northern Sri Lanka have been arrested, detained, and threatened. This has coincided with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva considering a resolution calling for an international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. Prominent Sri Lankan human rights activist Balendran Jeyakumari, was arrested along with her teenaged daughter in Kilinochchi, Northern Sri Lanka on 13 March. Officials confirmed that she has been detained by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) at the Boosa Detention Centre. Her daughter was later turned over to the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.See full statement here.
Amnesty International has documented extensive use of torture and other ill-treatment by TID officers in both Colombo and Boosa Detention Centre, and is concerned for the welfare of Balendran Jeyakumari. The Sri Lankan authorities claim she was arrested for harbouring a suspect in a shooting, which she reportedly denied in court. Several people, including a prominent local Member of Parliament, have accused the Sri Lankan authorities of staging the incident to frame her. Jeyakumari had informed local civil society and international media in February that she was being followed by a group of unidentified individuals, saying she was terrified.
Two other prominent human rights defenders, K. M. Rukshan (Ruki) Fernando and Father Praveen Mahesan were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) by TID on 16 March in Kilinochchi, after they had sought to investigate Balendran Jeyakumari’s arrest and ensure her daughter’s welfare. They were released without charge on 18 March, but are still at risk of harassment and re-arrest, and face other restrictions on their rights.