Proyectos Desaparecidos - Notas

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Update: AHRC-UAU-007-2009

11 May 2009

[RE: AHRC-UAC-031-2009: SRI LANKA: Police arbitrarily detain activist without reason]
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The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the detention and abduction of Sinnavan Stephen Sunthararaj, a human rights defender based in Jaffna, in Sri Lanka's north, and is gravely concerned for his safety. Sunthararaj was abducted at gunpoint in front of his family by uniformed men less than three hours after being released by the courts. It is the second abduction attempt made on the defender. His colleagues fear that government actors have arranged for him to be killed.

'A number of children in camps for people displaced by Sri Lanka's Tamil conflict have been abducted, international human rights groups say.

The groups say they have verified reports of disappearances in the Vavuniya area and are calling for the United Nations to investigate.

Suspected former Tamil Tiger child soldiers are said to have been removed by paramilitaries for questioning.

The abduction of activists and relief workers has undercut the message of compromise and reconciliation from the president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, rights groups said yesterday.

They highlighted the kidnapping of Stephen Sunthararaj, of the centre for human rights and development in Colombo, snatched by men in military uniform on 7 May while in his lawyer's car in the capital. He had just been released without charge from police custody as there was no evidence implicating him in any offence, was abducted a few hours later, and has not been seen since. Amnesty International fears he was seized because of his work.

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, January 25, 2010 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the reported disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda, a political reporter for the Sri Lankan news Web site Lanka eNews.

Lanka eNews Editor Sandurwan Senadeera told news organizations that Ekneligoda was last seen leaving the office on Sunday evening. He told news outlets that he fears the reporter may have been abducted. In its own account, Lanka eNews described Ekneligoda as a political analyst who has supported opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonska, a retired general, in Tuesday's election. The presidential election has already been marred by widespread violence and accusations of cheating by both sides.

LKA 001 / 0210 / OBS 021
February 18, 2010

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has been informed by reliable sources about the enforced disappearance of Mr. Pattani Razeek, Managing Trustee of the Community Trust Fund (CTF)[1] in Puttalam city and member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), who has been missing since February 11, 2010.

A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status

(February 22, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) is gravely concerned by the fact that,despite regularly receiving information concerning widespread and numerous cases of forced disappearance, including many in the Asian region, the Human Rights Council has failed to take effective action to have a tangible impact on the prevention of further abuses on the ground.

Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse

President of the Socialist Democratic
Republic of Sri Lanka
Via fax: +94 11 472100/ +94 11 2446657
Email: secretary@presidentsoffice.lk

Geneva, 24 February 2010

Re: Serious concerns about the fate of Mr. Prageeth Ranjan Bandara Eknaligoda, a journalist working for the LankaeNews Website

Your Excellency,

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the largest network of NGOs fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the world, is writing to you to express its serious concern about the fate of Mr. Prageeth Ranjan Bandara Eknaligoda, a journalist working for the LankaeNews Website, who disappeared on 24 January 2010, two days before the presidential election. One month after his disappearance, his whereabouts remain unknown and the police have so far failed to make any inquiry findings public.