HRCSL calls for report from Air Force Commander

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has asked Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudharshna Pathirana, to submit a report on or before 20th July 2021, explianing non-cooperation with the HRCSL, which tried to obtain relevant information to hold a preliminary inquiry as regards the way its quarantine facility is run.

According to the complaint to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the Commission has drawn attention to the following matters.

1. The President of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union, Joseph Stalin and his group were arrested, produced in court and released on bail, after which they were taken to quarantine camps illegally.

2. At the Mullaitivu Air Force Base, the quarantine centre, they did not receive the basic facilities they needed.

3. There was no female officer to provide the woman, who was quarantined, with the basic security and basic necessities she needed.

The HRCSL said in accordance with the powers vested in the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the responsibilities of the Commission, complaints of human rights violations received by the Commission should be investigated without delay and brought to justice.