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Hugo Swire: 'arrests underline why the Council must continue its focus on Sri Lanka'

The arrests of activists over recent days "underline why the Council must continue its focus on Sri Lanka", Channel 4 News quoted the British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire as saying.

Stating that he was "deeply concerned" to hear of the arrests, Mr. Swire urged the Sri Lankan government to allow "immediate access to lawyers and their families", adding,

"With the March UN Human Rights Council underway and a resolution on Sri Lanka under draft, these arrests underline why the Council must continue its focus on Sri Lanka. The world is watching what happens there, so I urge the Sri Lankan Government to respect human rights defenders and uphold the principles of free expression and movement."

See here for more by the director of the 'No Fire Zone' documentary, Callum Macrae.

See also: US: Arrests show that 'continued scrutiny' by HRC 'necessary' (17 Mar 2014)

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