
Disappeared or arrested? Sri Lankan security forces continue unlawful arrests
A student, Mariyaseelan Jeevakumar (17), has disappeared after being arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) on Friday, 14 July in Jaffna. Sri Lankan police have not notified Jeevakumar’s family on his whereabouts. In addition, the Human Rights Commission has not been notified of the arrest, as legal guidelines order.
On 9 July, nine Tamil civilians were tracked down in Colombo jails, after they were all reported as disappeared by family members. Guidelines which state that the detainees’ family and the Human Rights Commission must be informed of arrests within 48 hours was recently instructed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Another student, Sivalingam Varatharajah (17) has also been reported missing since Sunday, 16 July when he went for a tuition class. His family has registered a complaint with the Human Rights Commission office.
18 July 2006
|