Human Rights Watch (HRW) joined 10 other organizations today (28) in issuing the following statement seeking the release of the lawyer and activist Hejaaz Hizbullah and others held under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act. They further note that in the absence of any credible evidence presented before a court of law, Hejaaz Hizbullah should be released immediately and unconditionally. The indictment is based on a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department of the police made by a child regarding a speech allegedly made by Hizbullah in Puttalam. Other children who were questioned at the same time by the same officers filed fundamental rights cases claiming they were coerced by police officers to falsely implicate Hejaaz Hizbullah. The statement describes Hizbullah as a vocal critic of the government, serving as a minority rights advocate in a climate increasingly hostile to Sri Lanka’s religious and ethnic minorities.

Source: The Nation July 28, 2021 02:37 UTC