SRI LANKA: Sri Lankan born Irish citizen detained for five years without any charges
November 2, 2012
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION-URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-192-2012
2 November 2012------------------------------------------------------
SRI LANKA: Sri Lankan born Irish citizen detained for five years without any charges
ISSUES: Illegal arrest; arbitrary detention; torture; impunity; denial of justice; rule of law
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Dear friends,
Mr. Gunasundaram Jeyasundaram (57), an Irish citizen was arrested and detained upon arrival in Katunayake International Airport on September 5, 2007 accused of helping the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) and has since been arbitrarily detained without charge. A Writ of Habeas Corpus was filed but had been continuously delayed as has a Fundamental Rights Application. Despite urgent appeals by The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, tremendous ongoing support from the Irish government and members of the European Parliament the government of Sri Lanka has failed to take any action. Mr. Gunasundaram Jeyasundaram has now been in detention for over five years without being charged or, in fact, produced before any court of law. At present he is detained at the Magazine Remand Prison in Colombo. This case is yet another illustration of the exceptional collapse of the rule of law in the country.
