Over 70 individuals and organisations, including prominent religious leaders and human rights advocates in Sri Lanka, have demanded the immediate release of Hejaaz Hizbullah who has been detained under the country’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act for over 500 days.

The statement highlights the detention of Hizbullah as an emblematic case, reflecting “egregious human rights abuses that take place under the PTA”. Included in this is “the fact that Tamil persons have endured prolonged detention both at the pre-trial and trial stages under the PTA”. They further note that “detainees have been acquitted after detention periods of up to fifteen years”.

The statement comes in advance of the UN Human Rights Council session next month, in which Sri Lanka will be a focus and the European Union’s review of its GSP+ trading agreements with Sri Lanka. Whilst Sri Lanka has repeatedly pledged to reform the PTA it has consistently reneged on these commitments. The letter notes that the government’s refusal to “even consent to Mr. Hizbullah’s bail demonstrates the government’s bad faith”.

They further call “on members states of the Human Rights Council, and all members of the international community, to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to release Mr. Hizbullah forthwith, and desist from deploying the PTA".

Hizbullah’s detention

Hizbullah was arrested under the PTA on 26 August 2021 and was falsely accused of involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks. The letter details that much of Sri Lanka’s mainstream media engaged in a “vicious and highly prejudicial disinformation campaign” against him “to create a public impression that he was guilty of terrorist activity”.

Despite being detained for over 16 months, no evidence was produced before the courts connecting him to any terrorist activities. His indictment went on to accuse him that he had made statements to students which went against Sri Lankan law. This was predicated on the statements of one child which described Hizbullah as a person who owns a university in Batticaloa. This the statement highlights was “a clear allusion to a prominent politician bearing the same name”.

Whilst told in confidence to the judge, the statement was leaked to the media. The Fort Magistrate has since ordered an investigation into how this leak occurred.

Four other children who were taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department, at the same time as the other child, have petitioned the Supreme Court that they were coerced into making false statements against Hizbullah.

Numerous human rights organisations have spoken out against Hizbullah’s continued detention with Amnesty International declaring on 14 July 2021, that he was a “prisoner of conscience”.

Among the Christian and Catholic priests signing the public petition were  Bishop Duleep de Chickera, the 14th Anglican Bishop of Colombo,  former General Secretary of National Christian Council Rev. Dr. Jayasiri T. Peiris, Rev. Fr. M. Sathivel, Rev. Andrew Devadason, Rev, Marc Billimoria, Rev. Fr. Nandana Manathunga, Rev. Fr. Oswald B. Firth, Rev. Fr. Terence Fernando and Rev. Maxwell Doss.

This public petition has also been signed by 23 civil society organizations and parties including Sri Lanka Young Journalists' Association, Women for Justice and Peace in Sri Lanka Women's Action Network, Centre for Policy Alternatives and Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP).

Former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Ambika Sathkunanathan, Attorney-at-law Bhavani Fonseka,  Dr Lionel Bopage, Convenor-Voice for Democracy in Sri Lanka, former Member of the Election Commission Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole were also signatories.

Read the full statement here.