SRI LANKA: Release Balendran Jeyakumari - stop harassments of human rights defenders!

Jayakumari

A Statement from The Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances

Today, as the United Nations commemorates the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) reiterates its strong condemnation against the arbitrary arrest and detention of Balendran Jeyakumari and her 13-year old daughter and the intensifying intimidation and harassment against Rukj Fernando and Father Praveen after their release from detention.

No right to campaign for the release of Ruki Fernando and Fr. Praven referring to them as 'human rights activists - MoD

Ruki Fernando with his lawyers
(BBC sandesha photo)

Human Rights Organizations or Activists are NOT above the LAW

The arrests and detention of Mr. Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen has generated wide coverage demanding their immediate release on the premise that they were human rights activists. What needs to be clearly established is that Sri Lanka is a democratic country, there are laws that govern the country and laws that are applicable to all those living in Sri Lanka. Anyone living in Sri Lanka, whether they are citizen or non-citizen are subject to the laws of the land. If anyone has breached the laws of the country it is considered a criminal offence against the State of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Arrests of Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen are Attempts to Silence Critics - Joint statement

Sri Lanka: Free Prominent Rights Defenders [1]

The arbitrary arrest and detention of prominent human rights defenders is an attempt to silence criticism and divert the spotlight from ongoing abuses, leading global and Asian human rights monitors said today in a joint statement.  The statement was issued by Amnesty International, Forum Asia, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and the International Commission of Jurists.

Ruki Fernando of the Colombo-based INFORM and Father Praveen Mahesan, a Catholic priest, were arrested in Kilinochchi on March 16, and are believed to be detained without formal charges under Sri Lanka’s notoriously draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

3 Activists Held in Sri Lanka, Raising Fears of Crackdown

vanni post.com

NYT/ GARDINER HARRIS and DHARISHA BASTIANSMARCH
NEW DELHI — Fears of a broad crackdown against rights activists in Sri Lanka have been heightened after the Sri Lankan police recently arrested two prominent human rights advocates and a woman who has made a public campaign of finding her missing son.
The arrests took place just as the United Nations Human Rights Council considers starting an inquiry into possible war crimes committed by government forces and separatists during Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war.

Arresst of HRDs in Sri Lanka: Misinformtion campaign begins

We reprodse an news item form state controlled Daily news which is full of lies. Ruki Fernando and Fr, Praveen have never been prominent activists of the National Peace Council (NPC) - SLB

NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL TIGER LINKS BARED - 

Prominent NPC activists in TID custody -Close contacts with LTTE faction trying to revive Eelam

Ruki Fernando and Fr Praveen Mahesan, prominent activists of the National Peace Council (NPC), were taken into custody in Kilinochchi by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasekera yesterday said.

Sri Lanka: Detention of Ruki Fernando and Fr. Praveen Mahesan is an act of censorship by arbitrary arrest - FMM

17th March 2014/ Press Release
The Free Media Movement (FMM) unequivocally condemns the arrest of Ruki Fernand of INFORM, Human Rights Documents Centre, Colombo and Rev. Fr. Praveen Mahesan, former  Director of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation (CPR), Jaffna  by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police. The FMM strongly calls on the authorities to release them immediately, without any mistreatment.

Arrest of Ruki F and Fr.Praveen will complicate the search for an honest solution of the National question

JDS photo

The arrest in Sri Lanka of Rev. Fr. Proveen and Ruki Fernando
We the Catholics of the entire Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna, comprising of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Jaffna Districts are sad and perturbed to know from the media that Reverend Father Proveen Mahesan, resident at Amathipuram, an Oblate settlement and Rukki Fernando a Human Rights activist of the South have been arrested in the Kilinochchi area and have since been taken to Colombo for questioning by the TID.

US expresses concerns over arrest of Sri Lanka HRDs Ruki Fernendo and Fr. Praveen

Fr. Praveen

The United States has called on the Government to ensure the due legal process is provided to human rights activists Ruki Fernando and Reverend Father Praveen after they were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) last night. The US Embassy in Colombo said that the US Government is concerned over the arrest of the two activists. It urged the Government to ensure the two activists have full access to a legal counsel.

Meanwhile the Free Media Movement condemned in the strongest terms the arrest of the two activists and called for their immediate release.

Ruki Fernando and Fr. Praveen are charged with attempting to create ethnic discord among communities and to promote separatism - Police

Ruki Fernando:

Two human right activists arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TID) of Sri Lanka police last night have been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Police media spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said Ruki Fernando, who works for Rights Now Collective for Democracy and a Catholic priest, Father Praveen have been detained at the Kilinochchi police station under the PTA. The two human rights activists were transferred to Vavuniya and brought to Colombo for further questioning the spokesman said.

Sri Lanka: Two HRDs, Ruki Fernando and Rev. Praveen arrested in Kilinochchi by the TID

Ruki Fernando- A well known HRD

Sri Lanka Brief Alert /Issued at 19.00 GMT 16 March 2014

At around 10.05 pm Sri Lanka time on Sunday 06^th March 2014 , we were informed by  Ruki Fernando, from  his mobile number 00 94 77387416000 94 773874160 stating that Ruki and Rev. Praveen have been detained at the Killnochchi police station, North of Sri Lanka. Later we were informed via text, that he and father Praveen were being questioned separately. 

Sri Lanka has rejected recommendation to ratify ILO Convention 189 while the country enjoys the remittance from migrant workers as high as 6 billion USD for 2012

Nimalka Fernanda: We are talking about men, women and children whose lives are at risk or in danger.

Thank you Mr. President,
 This is a joint statement made by IMADR, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada and Pasumathai India. We appreciate the new mechanism of UPR. Nevertheless the negotiation process has given rise to reducing the impact of the transparency and effectiveness in built to UPR.

Written Statement to UNHRC: Arbitrary Detention in Sri Lanka[1]

Arbitrary Detention in Sri Lanka[1]

In 1983, at the outbreak of the civil war in Sri Lanka, the International Commission of Jurists concluded that Sri Lanka's abuses of prisoners constituted a “systematic” and "almost universal” practice;[2] that year, for example, 53 Tamil inmates were killed by Sinhalese guards at the Welikada high security prison.[3] Thirty years later, the system remains unchanged and the systematic abuse of prisoners continues to be the norm; in November 2012 it was reported that 27 inmates were killed at Welikada prison.[4] Continuing abuses highlight the unchanging nature of Sri Lanka's detention policy and the associated violations of human rights that have resulted in over 11,000 internments since the end of the civil war in 2009.[5]