The US government said with the recent spate of arrests of activists by Sri Lankan security forces "we remain convinced that continued scrutiny by the Human Rights Council is necessary" in a statement issued today.
The statement follows the detention of the prominent disappearances campaigner Balendran Jeyakumari and her 13 year old daughter last Thursday, followed by the detention of Father Praveen and the Sri Lankan human rights activist Ruki Fernando on Sunday evening.
See full statement below:
The United States Government is concerned about the arrests and detention of several well-known Sri Lankan human rights defenders and activists over the past week. We urge Sri Lankan government authorities to ensure that all those detained are given transparent and due legal process, including full access to legal counsel.
As we have noted many times in the recent past, both previous and on-going human rights concerns have led many in the international community to push for a UN Human Rights Council resolution on the situation in Sri Lanka. With these latest actions, we remain convinced that continued scrutiny by the Human Rights Council is necessary.