Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has condemned the arrest of a Catholic rights activist who stood up for victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.
Activist Shehan Malaka Gamage was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Feb. 14. Minutes before a team of policemen arrived to arrest him, Gamage went live on social media and said he was being abducted.
Police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa said Gamage was arrested for a comment he made with regard to a recent media briefing. He was earlier summoned to the CID and a statement was recorded.
The Maligakanda magistrate’s court ordered Gamage’s release on bail.
On the day of his arrest, a group of unidentified persons arrived in a white van and attacked the house of Sri Lankan television journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama, who had criticized the powerful ruling Rajapaksa family and their allies in recent broadcasts, including on YouTube.
The four masked attackers were armed. They allegedly threatened the security guard by holding a gun to his head before pelting stones and smearing the journalist’s house with human waste.
This has taken place just before the UN Human Rights Council session to be held at the end of the month and it will adversely affect the country internationally
Cardinal Ranjith called Gamage’s arrest and the attack on the journalist’s house a violation of their human rights.
“The Attorney General, who could not implement the recommendations of the Easter Commission report, was apparently trying to arrest those seeking justice for the Easter attack,” he said in Colombo on Feb. 15.
Cardinal Ranjith, who is scheduled to visit the Vatican later this month, said that “action will be taken to find a solution through international organizations” regarding the Easter attack.
Father Cyril Gamini, a member of the archdiocese’s proclamation committee on the search for the truth of the Easter Sunday attack, said Gamage stood up for the victims of the 2019 terrorist atrocity and demanded justice for them.
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He had said the Easter attack was a political conspiracy and called on the Sri Lankan government to look into the matter.
“This has taken place just before the UN Human Rights Council session to be held at the end of the month and it will adversely affect the country internationally,” said Father Gamini.
The Sri Lanka Professional Journalists’ Association (SLPJA) has strongly condemned the attack on Samarawickrama’s house.
“It is clear that the purpose of such attacks is threats to media freedom. In an environment where justice has not yet been done for the brutal attacks, killings and disappearances that have befallen the media community in this country, such attacks may be a reminder of that dark past,” said the SLPJA.
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