Regional human rights group, Asian Federation Against Involuntary
Disappearances (AFAD), demands for an immediate investigation regarding
the abduction of two Sri Lankan human rights defenders campaigning
against enforced disappearance on December 9, 2011.
Lalith Kumar Weeraraja and Kugan Muruganandan were
last seen leaving the residence of Muruganandan on Avarangal, Jaffna at
5:00 p.m. of December 9. Both men were organizing a press conference in
time for the December 10 International Human Rights Day celebration at
the time they disappeared.
“The Federation strongly condemns the disappearance
of Mr. Weeraraj and Mr. Muruganandan. The work of both human rights
defenders is crucial in demanding justice for the victims of enforced
disappearances of the Tamils in the North. The disappearance of Mr.
Weeraraja and Mr. Muruganandan was clearly an act to suppress efforts to
uncover the truth behind cases of disappearances in the past.” AFAD
Secretary-General Mary Aileen Bacalso said.
At 11:00 p.m. of the same day, the father of
Weeraraja received threatening phone calls from an unknown caller
claiming that they will kill his son, further stating “either you remove
your son from Jaffna or we will do it for you”.
Mr. Weeraraja serves as the Executive Committee
member of the organisation “We Are Sri Lankans” and the Jaffna
Coordinator of the Jana Aragalaya (People’s Struggle) movement while Mr.
Muruganandan actively assisted Mr. Weeraraja in the conduct of his human
rights work.
Both defenders campaigned against enforced
disappearances, promotion of the rights of the internally displaced
persons in the north and the release of political prisoners among
others.
Prior to their disappearance, Mr. Weeraraja
previously suffered from threats by the army and police regarding his
work.
In April 2011, Mr. Weeraraja and a colleague were
arrested by the Vavuniya police and threatened to be shot while putting
up posters about enforced disappearances in the North.
On the 23rd of June 2011, he and another colleague
were again abducted by officers of the Killinochchi army camp (Depo
Junction) and were detained and interrogated in an abandoned ice-cream
factory.
On the 14th of November 2011, Mr. Weeraraja with
other human rights defenders suffered from severe beatings by
unidentified men during a protest with the families of the disappeared
in Jaffna in front of the Jaffna town bus stand. The beatings
happened in front of the military, surprisingly, did not intervene and
stop the attack.
“AFAD is strongly urging the Rajapaksa administration
to immediately launch impartial and transparent investigations to
determine the whereabouts of the victims and identify the people
responsible for the disappearance. All measures to discover the truth
behind the abduction must be exhausted, the safety of Weeraraja and
Muruganandanan must be ensured and that perpetrators be held accountable
by the Sri Lankan government.” Bacalso concluded.
Under Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) every person has “the right to life, liberty and security
of person”. The UN Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance further emphasized that enforced disappearance is
an offense to human dignity and violates “the right to recognition as a
person before the law, the right to liberty and security of the person
and the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment.” The International Convention for the
Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPAPED) under
Article 1 subsequently reiterated the right not to be subjected to
enforced disappearance and that no circumstances can be invoked to
justify enforced disappearance.
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