Ruki Fernando and Fr. Praveen Maheshan were released this morning after three days of detention for "terrorism". They speak to AsiaNews about their detention and thank the Church and civil society for their support: "Now freedom for the other political prisoners".
The Christians Solidarity Movement (CSM) and the National Catholic Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development strongly condemn the arrest of Fr Praveen OMI and Ruki Fernando.
The police deny everything, but the detainees warned others they were being taken away via text message. The two had asked for information on the whereabouts of a Tamil woman and her 13 year old daughter, arrested on suspicion of "hiding a criminal in their house". Their fate remains unknown.
The Mothers and Daughters of Lanka (MoU) denounce, social, economic and political discrimination suffered by female workers. Women represent an important source of income, but the government does not recognize their equal rights.
Some Sri Lankan groups accuse the government of ignoring the fishermen from the north of the country. Territorial encroachments explosive regional issue: Indians engaged in trawling, which damages the ecosystem and the livelihoods of local populations.
The sister, 96, is a member of the Order of the Holy Family. Her "most important mission" was to stand by young men and women who worked in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, exploited by their employers. Sister Clarice fondly remembers the hundreds of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims to whom she taught catechism.
Members of the clergy in northern and eastern Sri Lanka send an official letter to the United Nations Council for Human Rights (UNHRC) in which they slam "disappearances, sexual abuse, arrests, detention, torture, restrictions on religious freedom" and other violations that take place in the country.
Mahinda Rajapaksa dismisses US Secretary of State John Kerry's statement reiterating US support for a UN resolution against Colombo. For the president, UN resolutions are a way "to destabilise Sri Lanka".
The remains of 80 people, including women and children, were found in the district. Bishop Joseph, who celebrated a memorial Mass, said, "We want to know what happened. We want answers. We do not need food".
Human rights NGO in the northeast of the country slams government inaction. The President extends inquiry into the alleged kidnapping took place during the conflict for six more months. People claim the first phase of the investigation was influenced by heavy military presence and lack of interpreters.
About 250 people from every ethnic, gender, age, social and religious background attended a conference on 'Religious reconciliation for peace'. Two civil society groups stress that harmonious coexistence among all communities is needed to overcome the ravages of civil war.
By March, drought is expected to strike the island nation. This led Arbeitskreis Sri Lanka eV Muenster to work with the Sisters of the Holy Family to help the village of Mullagasyaya, home to 85 families.
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