Srilanka!
Free NallaratnamSingarasa!
UN Human Rights Committee Urges!
Press
release, 11/04/2004 The deadline has now passed for the Sri Lankan government
to respond to a UN recommendation calling for the release or retrial
of Nallaratnam Singarasa, who was tortured and has spent more than
ten years in prison following an unfair trial. "We urge the Sri Lankan
government to immediately comply with the recommendation of the committee,"
said Amnesty International and Interights, (the International Centre for
the Legal Protection of Human Rights). "In light of the amount
of time Nallaratnman Singarasa has spent in prison and the severe
torture he has suffered, the government should release him as soon as possible."
Nallaratnam Singarasa,
an ethnic Tamil, was arrested in July 1993 during the long-running
conflict between the government and Tamil separatists. He claims to have
been subjected to severe torture following his arrest, which included
having his head held inside a tank of water. A doctor later found
scars on his back and eye resulting from the torture. During his
detention Nallaratnam Singarasa was denied access to a lawyer and an interpreter.
He claims he was forced to put his thumb print on a "confession"
written in Sinhalese, a language which he did not understand. In
September 1995 Nallaratnam was convicted of crimes under the Prevention
of Terrorism Act (PTA) including conspiracy to overthrow the
government. He was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment.
In July this year the UN
Human Rights Committee reviewed his case and concluded that Nallaratnam
Singarasa’s right to a fair trial had been violated as his conviction
was based solely on his supposed "confession" and as he had been
denied access to an interpreter during interrogation. The committee also
criticised the fact that the onus was put on Nallaratnam Singarasa
to prove that his confession had been obtained by torture and concluded
that the government had failed in its obligation to effectively investigate
allegations of torture.
The Sri Lankan government
were given 90 days to respond to the recommendation of the Human
Rights Committee at the beginning of August. However, three months
later Nallaratnam Singarasa is still in prison although he desperately
hopes that this recommendation will lead to his release.
Amnesty
International and Interights are concerned that the PTA provides
an incentive for interrogating officers to obtain "confessions" from
detainees by any means, including torture. This is because the PTA allows
for "confessions" to be used as evidence in court as long as they are heard
by officers above a certain rank. Amnesty International has consistently
called for the Act to be repealed or brought into line with international
human rights standards.
courtesy: http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA370062004
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