A disappearances activist in Vavuniya was questioned by Sri Lanka’s terrorism division earlier this month.

The secretary of the Vavuniya Families of the Disappeared association, K Rajkumar was questioned by Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) officials at the site of the Vavuniya protest on June 20.

Initially attempting to question Rajkumar by telephone, the TID officials appeared at the protest after he had refused and asked for any requests for investigation to be made in writing.

Rajkumar said he had been questioned for over thirty minutes, including over disappearance activists going to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

<p>A Muslim doctor who was falsely accused of sterilising thousands of Sinhalese women in the southern district of Kurunegala, is being detained illegally, a court heard on Friday.</p> <p>The doctor was subjected to a smear campaign by Sinhala newspaper Divaina, which was forced to admit after CID investigation that the allegations had come from one of the district’s top police chiefs.</p> <p>The CID said the doctor’s arrest and detention under emergency regulations did not conform to due process. He was arrested on a charge of having unexplained wealth, which the CID said was baseless.</p>

<p>More countries have condemned Sri Lanka’s move towards implementing the death penalty this week.</p> <p>After reports emerged that the Sri Lankan president had authorised the execution of four drug convicts, the European Union, Canada and France followed the UK in opposing the move.</p>

Tamil families of the disappeared have accused international organisations of working to derail their campaign for justice by trying to convince families to abandon their protests in favour of welfare payments and other buy offs.

Families in Mullaitivu have been campaigning for over two years for answers about their disappeared relatives, many of whom surrendered at the end of the war.

<p>Sri Lanka’s implementation of the death penalty will cause the UK to reconsider its engagement on security issues, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said in a statement expressing concern.</p> <p>Reports emerged this week that Sri Lanka’s president had signed the execution warrants of four drug convicts. The reports have drawn international criticism from states and rights groups.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka backed India's candidature as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council yesterday.&nbsp;</p> <p>In a tweet, the India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin wrote: “A&nbsp;unanimous step. Asia-Pacific Group @UN unanimously endorses India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat of the Security Council for 2-year term in 2021/22. Thanks to all 55 members for their support."</p> <p>“Asia-Pacific Group Endorses India for Non-Permanent seat of UNSC 55 countries, 1 nominee - India for a non-permanent seat of UN Security Council Term 2021-2022."&nbsp;</p>

Despite international criticism, the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena today signed papers authorising the executions of four convicts. 

The convicts were sentences over drug related offences. 

Speaking to the media, the president said, "I have already signed the papers and they will be carried out soon.”

Responding to the decision, Amnesty International said it was "shocked" and "outraged". 

The Sri Lankan human rights commission (HRCSL) is investigating the harassment of a Tamil journalist by the Sri Lankan navy and police.

Mullaitivu-based journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan along with families of the disappeared made a complaint to the commission’s Vavuniya office after being harassed by a navy officer during a protest on April 7.

The navy officer had then filed a police complaint claiming to have been assaulted by Thavaseelan, following which the journalist was arrested and taken before the courts.

A Tamil political prisoner, who was detained for the past 14 years, died last week. 

Muthaiya Sahathevan, 61, was arrested in 2005, accused of being involved in the assassination of the former Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. 

He died following an admission to Colombo National Hospital for health reasons.