A Tamil think-tank based in Jaffna was visited and its staff questioned by Sri Lankan terrorism police.
Kumaravadivel Guruparan, executive director of Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) and senior law lecturer at Jaffna University, reported that the office of ACPR were visited by three TID (Terrorism Investigation Division) officials who claimed to have been sent by their superiors in Colombo to inquire into the human rights policy-think tank.
The officials asked the staff what they were doing and who was funding them alongside other similar questions. When asked whether they were investigating a complaint the officials responded by stating they were asked to make inquiries by their superiors.
This follows a worrying norm in Sri Lanka of state intimidation and harassment of human rights advocates. Executive director of ACPR Mr Guruparan was also recently intimidated outside court by individuals associated with the Sri Lankan Deputy Solicitor General who was representing the Sri Lankan army in a disappearances inquiry.
Read more here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
