The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is deeply concerned by media reports that an employee of a diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka had recently been abducted by a group of unknown persons who had allegedly demanded that she provide them information pertaining to Sri Lankans who have sought protection through that embassy.
In a letter to the acting Inspector General of Police, C D Wickramaratne, the Commission urgently called on the Police to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the alarming incident.
“As you would agree a speedy and impartial investigation into the matter to unearth those responsible is absolutely essential to strengthen public confidence in law enforcement and to dispel public fears,” Deepika Udagama, Chairperson of the HRCSL said in the letter.
She said that when the public entertains such fears it has a chilling effect on democratic rights and freedoms.
Udagama told the acting IGP, not only must justice be done on behalf of the young woman who may be traumatized by the abduction, but the larger issue of the need to reassure the public also must be addressed.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
