July 11, 2024 Justice For All is concerned by the latest instance of systemic bias…
UN Special Rapporteur Says PTA Detainee Hejaaz Hizbullah Has Been Wrongfully Connected To Easter 2019
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UN Special Rapporteur Says PTA Detainee Hejaaz Hizbullah Has Been Wrongfully Connected To Easter 2019
The United Nations Special Rapporteur of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor said on September 7 that they believe human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah was wrongfully connected to the terrorist attacks on Easter 2019. Hizbullah has been unlawfully detained under the PTA since April 2020.
Lawlor said they believe his previous human rights work and legal profession could have been falsely conflated with terrorism in relation to the 2019 Easter bombings. Lawlor again stated that the PTA needed to conform to international human rights standards.
It was also pointed out that in the year and a half he has been detained, he has only had legal counsel four times, all of which have been supervised.
In July 2021, seven UN Special Rapporteurs had sent a letter to the Government of Sri Lanka asking for detailed information on Hizbullah’s arrest and detention, asking to to explain his charges in relation to the definition of terrorism under international legal terms, why he did not have confidential access to his lawyers, and what his prison conditions were.
Articles:
Hizbullah’s human rights work conflated with terrorism: Mary Lawlor