Sri Lanka Human Rights groups call for release of student activist

Human rights groups have urged Sri Lanka to release a prominent student activist arrested five months ago during anti-government protests triggered by the country’s worst economic crisis.

Wasantha Mudalige, being held without charges under a harsh anti-terrorism law, was brought before a magistrate in Colombo on Tuesday, who ordered him to be reprimanded until January 31.

Seven human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said under the powerful Prevention of Terrorism Act, which has been used since 1979, courts routinely deny bail if the attorney general opposes it.

Mudalige is the convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation and was involved in months of anti-government demonstrations last year. The protesters demanded wide-ranging reforms to resolve the economic crisis that caused severe shortages of essential goods, fuel, and medicine.

The protests culminated in the flight and resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after thousands of people stormed his residence in July. His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, initiated talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package contingent on reforms and debt restructuring. Wickremesinghe’s government also gave sweeping powers to the authorities to crack down on the protests, arresting many activists.

Rights groups say the military has sought to curtail protests through intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary arrests since Wickremesinghe took office in July. They have released many of those arrested on bail. Still, the rights groups say authorities have used extraordinary powers to keep Mudalige in detention, producing no evidence of his involvement in terrorism.

The groups said in a statement on Monday that for much of the time, Mudalige has been held in “solitary confinement and poor conditions, which can violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment under international human rights law.” Mudalige was also arrested and jailed for over three months in 2021 after protesting for the right to free education.

Al Jazeera/S.O