The Amnesty International (AI) urged the government today to release a writer who is under custody over a short story he published on his Facebook wall and faces ten years of jail time as he faces charges under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.
Shakthika Sathkumara, an award-winning Sri Lankan writer, was arrested on 1 April 2019, for writing a short story and sharing it on his Facebook profile. The fictional story he shared was about life in Buddhist temple, that allegedly hinted at child sexual abuse.
“Detained for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, Shakthika Sathkumara is a prisoner of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released and all charges against him dropped,” the statement issued by the AI said.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty as he is charged under Section 3(1) of ICCPR Act and Art. 291(B) of the Penal Code of Sri Lanka, which deals with propagating hatred and incitement of racial or religious violence.
A British national had been arrested over attempting to smuggle in the largest haul of kush( drugs) from Thailand, customs said.
Popular grade five tuition teacher, Hayeshika Fernando wanted over assaulting a 21 year old youth was granted bail today after she surrendered to courts.
The Government of Sri Lanka maintains that the allegation of genocide during the final phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka is unsubstantiated by any credible authority, either nationally or internationally, and is based on misleading information. Sri Lanka firmly rejects this false narrative and believes it has been propagated primarily for electoral gains within Canada.
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