Human Rights Watch says authorities in Sri Lanka have failed so far to show any evidence of wrongdoings of lawyer Hijaz Hezbollah, hence 10 international organizations including Human Rights Watch; have called for his immediate release, as it appears he is being targeted solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
A joint statement has been issued by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Article 19, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Front Line Defenders, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Initiative, International Commission of Jurists, International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), International Working Group on Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Campaign for Truth and Justice demanding the release of Hijaz Hezbollah and others who detain under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
These organizations have expressed their deep concern over the continued detention of Hijaz Hezbollah, a lawyer and civil rights activist of minority under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the statement emphasized the need to release Hijaz Hezbollah and other people immediately and unconditionally free of charge if there is no credible evidence presented before the court.
Hijaz Hezbollah was arrested on April 14, 2020 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The charges against Hezbollah have changed several times and his detention has been extended to more than 15 months. Hijaz Hezbollah has been a vocal critic of the government, advocating for minority rights in an environment of increasing hostility to Sri Lanka’s religious and ethnic minorities, and a lawyer who has challenged the dissolution of parliament in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2018.
The rights continued to be violated of Mr. Hijaz Hezbollah who is in custody. He got the opportunity to speak his family, 10 months later since he got arrested. They emphasize the international human rights law, especially Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), that all detainees have the right to access to their families and lawyers, but he has lost that.
A study published by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka in December 2020 found that many prisoners arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act are being detained in remand for 15 to 20 years. These international organizations point out to the government that this is a blatant violation of the right to liberty and the right to a fair trial as protected under Article 14.
The statement further said, The government of Sri Lanka should guarantee the protection of the human rights of all PTA detainees including guarantees of due process and a fair trial, and protection from arbitrary arrest, detention, torture or other ill-treatment, Immediately review the detention of those held under the PTA, ensuring adequate access to fair bail hearings, and immediate release for all those not facing internationally recognizable charges and facilitate access to effective remedies and reparations to those whose human rights have been violated due to the use of the PTA .
Shani