More

    Bail for Lankan lawyer, “prisoner of conscience”

    Civil societyHuman rightsBail for Lankan lawyer, “prisoner of conscience”
    - Advertisment -

    Bail for Lankan lawyer, “prisoner of conscience”

    The criminal investigation department of the Sri Lanka police had detained Hejaaz Hizbullah, an attorney-at-law under the island nation’s Prevention of Terrorism Act.

    Sri Lankan lawyer, Hejaaz Hizbullah has obtained bail from a court of appeal after 20 months in detention under the country’s prevention of terrorism act (PTA).

    Hizbullah has been under detention since April 2020 when he was picked up under the provisions in following the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 and injured over 500. The criminal investigations department of the Sri Lankan police did not charge him for any offence for 10 of the 20 months he was held captive.

    (Health authorities had advised him to stay at home since the suspected he had come in contact with people with COVID-19. This was a ruse so to apprehend him.)

    - Advertisement -

    Hizbullah’s trial has been controversial. His lawyers argued that Hizbullah is being charged because of his work as a lawyer and a defender of human rights. They said that he was being blamed for his association with a businessman whose sons were suspected to have carried out the Easter Sunday bombings.

    As calls for his release grew within and outside Sri Lanka, the government shuffled charges and accused him of inciting racial disharmony.

    Abusive law

    Besides not being provided free access to his lawyers or to meet with his family, the police was even pulled up by a Colombo magistrate for botching up an identification parade by acquainting school-going children with his picture before the exercise. The investigating team had alleged that Hizbullah was involved in preaching hate.

    Sri Lanka’s prevention of terrorism act (PTA) allows authorities to detain any suspect without charges and without producing a suspect before a judge.

    In 2021, Amnesty International declared Hizbullah a prisoner of conscience. “He is a prisoner of conscience and must me immediately and unconditionally released and all charges against him dropped,” the UK-based international human rights organisation said on July 14.

    Amnesty International said Hizbullah was detained on “trumped-up charges” under the “draconian” PTA. “He has been targeted for his work, and his advocacy for the rights of Muslim minorities in the country,” the organisation said.

    Human rights defenders have criticised the use of PTA to crush dissent and justify the forcible disappearance of people.

     

    Image: Hippopx licensed under Creative Commons Zero – CC0

    - Advertisement -

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Latest news

    Senior Envoy Warns Iran-Israel Conflict is Deepening Crisis in Afghanistan

    Meanwhile, the de facto authorities have conveyed grievances around frozen assets, sanctions, non-recognition, the need for greater development assistance, and an end to aid dependency.

    Grief and Grinder Blades: Russian Families Open Soldiers’ Coffins as Military Logistics Collapse

    Many families, desperate for closure or suspicious of the remains' authenticity, choose to cut open the coffins themselves, sometimes in the presence of local morgue workers or relatives.

    SECI Issues Landmark Tender for Offtake of Green Ammonia

    SECI will anchor demand aggregation and sign long-term offtake agreements, providing producers with market certainty over a 10-year contract period.

    Where the Thunder Dragon Breathes: Bhutan’s Bold Bet on Climate, Culture and Contentment

    Bhutan stands at a crossroads between survival and sacrifice, tradition and transformation. Its model is not perfect—but it offers the world something rare: a vision of development that does not cost the Earth.
    - Advertisement -

    The Fallout from Losing a UN Job

    I wasn’t just de-linked from my role—I was cut off from my health insurance, my professional identity, my community, and the safety net I thought I’d built after a lifetime of service.

    $150mn World Bank Financing for Sri Lanka to Boost Renewables, Avoid Blackouts

    A core feature of the initiative includes $40 million in World Bank Group guarantees in the first phase. This will help reduce risks for private investors and energy producers.

    Must read

    Senior Envoy Warns Iran-Israel Conflict is Deepening Crisis in Afghanistan

    Meanwhile, the de facto authorities have conveyed grievances around frozen assets, sanctions, non-recognition, the need for greater development assistance, and an end to aid dependency.

    Grief and Grinder Blades: Russian Families Open Soldiers’ Coffins as Military Logistics Collapse

    Many families, desperate for closure or suspicious of the remains' authenticity, choose to cut open the coffins themselves, sometimes in the presence of local morgue workers or relatives.
    - Advertisement -

    More from the sectionRELATED
    Recommended to you