Disappearance of Sri Lankan human rights defender

It’s not only the war zone in northern Sri Lanka where people are at risk.  On May 7, Stephen Sunthararaj was abducted in Colombo, the capital, by five men dressed in military uniform and carrying pistols.  At the time, he was traveling in his lawyer’s car with his wife and two children, when two men on motorcycles pulled up in front of the car to stop it.  As the car stopped, a white van pulled up next to it and the five men emerged and forced Sunthararaj into the van which then drove off.  There’s been no word from Sunthararaj since then.  The police haven’t started any investigation and the Sri Lankan authorities haven’t provided any information as to his status or whereabouts.

Sunthararaj’s enforced disappearance may be due to his work as a Project Manager at the Centre for Human Rights and Development, a Sri Lankan human rights organization.  At the time of his abduction, he had just been released hours earlier from police custody.  He had been arrested by the army on February 12 in Colombo and later transferred to the police.  He was never charged with any offense.

Sri Lanka’s security forces have been responsible for tens of thousands of enforced disappearances over the past thirty years.  Last year, the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances expressed concern about the high number of recent cases of enforced disappearances reported from Sri Lanka.

Please write to President Rajapaksa (Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka, email:  [email protected] or [email protected]) on behalf of Sunthararaj.  Ask that the government carry out an independent investigation into his enforced disappearance and prosecute those responsible.  If he is found to be in custody, he should either be promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offense or else immediately released; while he is detained, he should be treated humanely and given access to his family, lawyer and medical care.  Ask that the government ensure that human rights defenders are able to carry out their work without fear of harassment or intimidation.  Thanks.

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9 thoughts on “Disappearance of Sri Lankan human rights defender

  1. Why don't we all agree that Tamils need their own state to live with peace and dignity? Does AI still think that writing to the SL government works? Who do you think must have ordered this? Why still keep highlighting symptoms (I know it helps, please don't take me wrong) when there is an easy cure for the illness? Time to discuss how to draw the borders of two indepedent and democratic states. AI should conclude that Tamils can not live with security under the government and call the international governments to act.

  2. Why don’t we all agree that Tamils need their own state to live with peace and dignity? Does AI still think that writing to the SL government works? Who do you think must have ordered this? Why still keep highlighting symptoms (I know it helps, please don’t take me wrong) when there is an easy cure for the illness? Time to discuss how to draw the borders of two indepedent and democratic states. AI should conclude that Tamils can not live with security under the government and call the international governments to act.

  3. AUX AMES BIEN NEES ET A MES HONNORABLES COLLEGUES A TRAVERS L'UNIVERS. je procede encore une fois de plus pour l' enssemble des problemes les plus brulants dans le monde en entier.ne jouont pas au sapeur pompier.il ya de temps que le monde souffre des exces sociaux de tout genres depuis le temps des NAZIS.alors n'inscrivons pas sur le pantheon nos ouvres dans le sens du MAL sinon les generations futures nous accusserons dans ce cas il est opportun de prendre toute notre responsabilite dans la gestion ACTUELLE DU MONDE POUR UNE NOUVELLE FORME DE SOCIETE en nous debarrassant de des multiples foyers de tensions a savoir:(le rebellions le terrorisme l'anti-semitisme et les autres formes…)la conscience universselle la morale en somme les vertus de probites dans un civisme de la valeur digne d'un HOMME DOIVENT NOUS SERVIR DE DEVISES pour aneantir les souffrances de l'AME LA VIE CAR C'EST UNE DIVINITE le message que j'envoie comme ça est a notifié a OBAMA POUR UNE PRISE EN CHARGE MULTIFORMES et je suivrai de bon coeur l'application. il faut AIDER L'HOMME DU DES 10 DERNIRS SIECLES ,IL S'AGIT BIEN SUR DE BARACK OBAMA Le khalifa.il ne faut pas lui laisser seul face AUX EMPEREURDU ROYAUME DE SATAN.DIALY MADY KONE DIT MANDE MASSA.RESPECT MERCI ET ALA PROCHAINE.

  4. AUX AMES BIEN NEES ET A MES HONNORABLES COLLEGUES A TRAVERS L’UNIVERS. je procede encore une fois de plus pour l’ enssemble des problemes les plus brulants dans le monde en entier.ne jouont pas au sapeur pompier.il ya de temps que le monde souffre des exces sociaux de tout genres depuis le temps des NAZIS.alors n’inscrivons pas sur le pantheon nos ouvres dans le sens du MAL sinon les generations futures nous accusserons dans ce cas il est opportun de prendre toute notre responsabilite dans la gestion ACTUELLE DU MONDE POUR UNE NOUVELLE FORME DE SOCIETE en nous debarrassant de des multiples foyers de tensions a savoir:(le rebellions le terrorisme l’anti-semitisme et les autres formes…)la conscience universselle la morale en somme les vertus de probites dans un civisme de la valeur digne d’un HOMME DOIVENT NOUS SERVIR DE DEVISES pour aneantir les souffrances de l’AME LA VIE CAR C’EST UNE DIVINITE le message que j’envoie comme ça est a notifié a OBAMA POUR UNE PRISE EN CHARGE MULTIFORMES et je suivrai de bon coeur l’application. il faut AIDER L’HOMME DU DES 10 DERNIRS SIECLES ,IL S’AGIT BIEN SUR DE BARACK OBAMA Le khalifa.il ne faut pas lui laisser seul face AUX EMPEREURDU ROYAUME DE SATAN.DIALY MADY KONE DIT MANDE MASSA.RESPECT MERCI ET ALA PROCHAINE.

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