Amnesty Appeal on VC Raveendranath
20 December 2006
UA 336/06
''Disappearance''/fear of torture or ill-treatment/health concern
SRI LANKA
Professor Sivasubramanium Raveendranath (m), aged 55, Vice-Chancellor,
Eastern University, Batticaloa
Professor Sivasubramanium Raveendranath, the Vice-Chancellor
of Eastern University, was reportedly abducted while at a
conference in the capital, Colombo, on 15 December. Since he
was in an area tightly controlled by the military, it seems
likely that his captors are an armed group operating with
the tacit support of the security forces. He is at risk of
torture. He suffers from heart disease, putting his life in
greater danger.
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath had been attending a
conference of the Sri Lankan Association for the Advancement
of Science and was reportedly last seen by colleagues during
the tea break between sessions.
On 20 September, gunmen abducted his colleague, the Dean of
the Arts Faculty of the Eastern University, Dr Bala Sugamar.
It is widely reported that the kidnappers had demanded the
immediate resignation of Sivasubramanium Raveendranath in
return for Dr Bala Sugamar's release. Sivasubramanium
Raveendranath handed in his resignation and Dr Bala Sugamar
was released soon after. The University did not accept his
resignation, on the grounds that it was a presidential
appointment, but he had not yet felt it was safe enough for
him to return to the university, and had been carrying out
his duties from Colombo. His family have said that
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath had received several threats,
though it is not clear from whom.
According to the head of a local NGO, Eastern University has
a reputation for violent internal politics, mostly about
control of the university. Many faculty members have
resigned, gone missing or have been killed in the past. Some
people within the university have claimed that Professor
Raveendranath is a supporter of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but his family maintain that he is
entirely apolitical.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated
dramatically in recent months. Fighting between the security
forces and the LTTE has increased since April, and this has
led to scores of civilians being killed or injured, and
forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes. Neither
the security forces nor the LTTE appear to be taking
adequate precautions to ensure that civilian are not killed
or injured by military actions. Despite the escalating
violence, both sides maintain that they are committed to a
2002 ceasefire agreement. Over two decades of conflict in
Sri Lanka have claimed the lives of more than 65,000 people,
the majority of them civilians.
In recent months in areas in the northeast of Sri
Lanka, there have been reports of a number of people
''disappearing'' or being abducted by the security forces or armed groups. Such people are often called or taken in ''for
questioning'' and held incommunicado. No receipts or records
of their detention are made available, and the official
mechanisms for reporting such events, such as through the
National Human Rights Commission, are often unable to find
where the missing people are. Anyone held this way is in
clear danger of torture or ill treatment.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly
as possible, in English or your own language:
- calling on the authorities to immediately do everything
necessary to locate Sivasubramanium Raveendranath, who was
allegedly abducted on 15 December;
- calling on the authorities to ensure that Sivasubramanium
Raveendranath is not tortured or ill-treated, and that he is
allowed immediate and unfettered access to his family, a
lawyer of his choice and any medical treatment he may
require;
- urging the authorities to conduct a prompt, independent
and impartial investigation into the abduction of
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath, to make the findings public
and to promptly bring those responsible to justice in a free
and fair trial;
- if Sivasubramanium Raveendranath is found to be in
custody, calling on the authorities to release him
immediately and unconditionally unless he is to be charged
with a recognizably criminal offence.
APPEALS TO:
President Mahinda Rajapakse
Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka
Fax: 011 94 11 2446657/ 94 11 2472100
Salutation: Dear President Rajapakse
Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka
Army Commander, Army Headquarters,
Flagstaff Street, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka
Fax: 011 94 11 2855 018/ 94 11 2434 862/
94 11 2338 653/ 94 11 2421 374
Salutation: Dear Lt General
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Secretary, Ministry of Defense,
15/5 Baladaksha Mawatha, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka
Fax: 011 94 11 2446 300/ 94 11 2541 529
Salutation: Dear Secretary of Defense
Mahinda Samarasinghe
Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights,
383, Department of Meteorology,
Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
Fax: 011 94 11 2681978/ 94 11 2881982
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Bernard A.B. Goonetilleke
Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
2148 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 232 7181
Email: slembassy@slembassyusa.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amnesty International
Rue d'Arlon 39-41 Brussels
B-1000, Belgium
December 22, 2006
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: The abduction of Vice Chancellor, Prof. S Raveendranath by the Sri
Lankan forces and its goons
The Vice Chancellor of Eastern University, Prof S Raveendranath, was
abducted in Colombo on December 15th, 2006 by the Sri Lankan armed forces
in collaboration with its paramilitary goons.
I am extremely concerned and fearful for the safety of Vice Chancellor
Prof S Raveendranath. He was intimidated in the Eastern University by the
armed paramilitary goons on numerous occasions within recent times. A
couple of months ago, he was asked to resign from the post of Vice
Chancellor of the University by the government-aligned armed goons who
abducted the Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty, Dr Bala Sugumar.
Since the abduction of Prof. S. Raveendranath almost a week ago, there has been
no trace of his whereabouts and his wellbeing. My sincere prayers and
thoughts are with him and his family.
Prof. Raveendranath is one of the many Tamil scholars who selflessly and tirelessly worked
in the difficult and dangerous terrain only to help the less fortunate
Tamil students in Sri Lanka. The humanitarian organizations like Amnesty
International, CARE, OXFARM, RED CROSS, WORLD VISION, UNICEF, etc. should do
everything possible within their capacity to have him released immediately
and unharmed.
Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission has said more than 1000 Tamil people
have disappeared from the northeast of Sri Lanka since the current
hawkish president Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected back in December 2005. The
Asian Human Rights Commission, a private group based in Hong Kong, UNICEF,
the ICRC and the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission have all accused the Sri Lankan
government and its forces of unlawful abductions and disappearances in the
NorthEast of Sri Lanka.
It is the moral duty of the International Community and all those
working for the less fortunate people to use their good offices to secure
the release of Vice Chancellor Prof S Raveendranath of Eastern University
immediately and safely.
I thank you for taking time to read this letter and do hope you respond
promptly to this urgent matter.
Respectfully yours,
E. S.
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