Petition calls for release of Ramzy and other activists

An online petition is calling for the unconditional release of Ramzy Razeek and other activists who have been critical of the Sri Lanka's authorities. 

Infographic by Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice 

Ramzy Razeek, an online activist, who regularly writes about social and political issues was arrested over a month ago and remains in detention without any formal charges being brought against him. 

"Ramzy Razeek emailed Sri Lanka's chief of police to complain about a flurry of death threats that he had been receiving on Facebook. But instead of invetsigating the threats against Ramzy, later that day the authorities showed up at his house and arrested him," the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice wrote in their latest statement. 

The infographic highlights that "police have signalled an intention to take action under the ICCPR Act- a piece of legislation designed to protect free speech, but which has increasingly been used by the government of Sri Lanka to target critical voices."

"As we highlight, Ramzy is sadly just one of many critical voices in Sri Lanka to have fallen victim to a crackdown on freedom of expression linked to the government's pandemic response. Dozens are reported to have been arrested after police issued a warning on April 1 saying that they would take legal action against those 'criticising' government officials- a trend that has coincided with a climate of growing hostility and racism towards members of Sri Lanka's Muslim community," the statement added. 

See full statement here and petition here

 

 

 

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