The arrests of prominent human rights activist Ruki Fernando and Catholic priest Father Praveen in Kilinochchi under the Prevention of Terrorism Act have been widely condemned.
Terming the arrests high-handed, the Tamil National Alliance — which formed the Northern Provincial Council about six months ago — said the conduct of the Sri Lankan government, even while its human rights record was under scrutiny, was illustrative of its disdainful conduct towards the Human Rights Council.
The arrest of Mr. Fernando, who is said to have been working consistently on the issue of involuntary disappearances, has left activists concerned about the developments and the possibility of a fresh round of crackdown.
Calling the arrests “extremely disturbing and an urgent call to action,” Sanjana Hattotuwa, a senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo think-tank, has said that what the government does in Sri Lanka is in stark contrast to what it says in Geneva. “Human rights activists are being arrested under draconian laws which permit the authorities to interrogate them in isolation for extended periods of time. It is clear the government wants to go after those who flag human rights abuses,” he said on Monday.
The U.S. said it was concerned at the arrests and detention of several well-known rights 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,” it said in a statement.
“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 U.N. 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,” it said.
Police spokesperson Ajit Rohana was not available for comment.
In less than a fortnight, the U.S. will table its resolution on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council. The revised draft of the resolution is said to call for an international probe and urges Sri Lanka to look into allegations of rights abuse.
