Appeal for Justice for Pattani Razeek after four years of Abduction and Murder.
Thailand based
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia), and Asian
Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong overlooking the human Rights
in the Asian Region, from year to year from 2010,expressed their shock
and deep frustration over the long delay of investigation and seeking
justice into the Abduction and Murder of Human Rights Defender, Pattani
Razeek.
He got disappeared on 11th Feb.2010 in Polonnaruwa, while engaging in an
official duty in his trust. Mr. Razeek was last seen getting into a
van with some persons, who had parked their vehicle closer to the Jumma
Mosque at Kaduruwela, in Polonnaruwa having informed his colleagues who
came with him that he was travelling to the Valaichchenai town, in the
Eastern Province.
Mr. Razeek has not been seen or heard from since. Shortly afterwards,
Mr. Razeek family received a few calls from Mr. Razeek’s mobile phone
number, demanding large amounts of money to secure his release. Then the
calls stopped.
For his son Razeek Rizkhan Mohamed, the ensuing years have been a
tedious process of waiting and suffering. Not only Rizkhan but his four
sisters and younger brother along with their dear mother still are
suffering without their dear beloved father and dear beloved husband.
It was quickly established that Pattani, a rights activist and civil
organizer, was abducted and later murdered. Police, in Kavaththamunai,
Oddamavadi,Valaichenai in an Eastern Province area discovered his body
and exhumed it on 29th of July 2011, after a lapse of one and a half
years after the abduction. But the investigation has made little
progress since.
After exhumation of Razeek body, the post-mortem was completed on 2nd
August 2011 and the body was released to the family on the same day. The
DNA testing samples and other testing were carried out by the
government Analyst and other responsible officers. Razeek family fully
corporate with the Police for investigation to seek justice for him.
“After years of waiting, we still have not obtained justice for my
father, court case (M.C.92264) still going on at Polonnaruwa, Magistrate
Courts. Even a date had been fixed on 10th February 2014– one day
before the fourth anniversary of my father's disappearance – the court
heard a case against two suspects allegedly involved. Police had not
issued a death certificate, since then after two and half years of
finishing the autopsy.” Rizkhan said.
"The key suspect, Nowshaadh has been released on bail and converted to a
crown witness. Now the other suspect Musdeen is also released on bail
and the third one, Ameer who is absconding from court from the beginning
is yet to be arrested. We have lost all hopes of justice," he said.
“Our family and witnesses to the case do not have any protection though it is an urgent responsibility of the state “he said.
The family, as well as former colleagues and fellow activists, have
complained of long delays in the courts, police inaction in the
investigation and the release of key suspects in the case, including
Shahadbeen Nowshaadh, who police had initially linked to Razeek through
the ransom phone calls to the family.
He was remembered much due to his tremendous services rendered to the
fellow citizens during the Tsunami debacle that hit Sri Lanka in 2008,
especially in Trincomalee and Amparai areas. In 1990, when the Muslim
people were evicted from Jaffna, Mannar and Mulltivu during the civil
war, he was there to help them and made them resettled in Puttalam.
Many requests made for a credible investigation by the members of the
civil society and the Human rights organizations and Human Rights
defenders in Sri Lanka.
Another important matter to be indicated is the CTF has been taken over
by the Ministry of Defense of the Central Government, after the
abduction and killing of Razeek.
Human Rights Organizations throughout the country along with his family
members campaigned to seek justice and to book the perpetrators who is
responsible for this heinous abduction and murder.
Even the eight-member commission of inquiry appointed by President
Mahinda Rajapakse following the end of the civil war concluded in its
report that police had failed in their handling of the case.
“The development we have seen so far in this case is that, both key
suspects have been released on bail, family members and lawyer have not
been given access to the post-mortem report which must have vital
information on the truth behind his murder”, said Seyeed Ahmad, Country
Program Manager of Forum-Asia, commenting on the case in 2013.
For many years now the Sri Lanka Government has been urged by UN
agencies and International Human Rights Organizations as well as several
governments to take effective steps to stop abductions and forced
disappearances in the country, however much has to be done by the
government in this regard.
Courtesy - Sri Lanka Gaurdian