Detained Aussie Senator to report on Sri Lanka human rights abuses
THURSDAY DECEMBER 05, 2013
Australian Greens Senator Rhiannon who was ordered out of Sri Lanka yesterday, is on a flight back to Sydney after being detained by Sri Lankan Government officials for over three hours.
Brami Jegan, the media adviser at the office of Australian Greens Senator for New South Wales Ms. Lee Rhiannon, has issued a media announcement regarding the incident which happened to the Greens Senator during her recent visit to Sri Lanka.
According to the announcement, the Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon and NZ Green MP Jan Logie were meeting with members of civil society yesterday (10) when four Sri Lankan immigration officials arrived at the location, confiscated their passports and detained them for over three hours.
Senator Rhiannon and Jan Logie MP were on a fact finding mission in Sri Lanka in the lead up to CHOGM which started yesterday.
It is said that the Government of Sri Lanka had been notified of Senator Rhiannon's trip to Sri Lanka prior to her visit.
Before their detainment, Senator Rhiannon and Jan Logie MP released a statement which said they have found that the ongoing abuses of human and legal rights are so serious that the Commonwealth meeting scheduled for Colombo should not proceed and that the Sri Lanka government should not be given the chair of CHOGM for the next two years.
Senator Rhiannon and Jan Logie MP were on a fact finding mission in Sri Lanka in the lead up to CHOGM which started yesterday.
It is said that the Government of Sri Lanka had been notified of Senator Rhiannon's trip to Sri Lanka prior to her visit.
Before their detainment, Senator Rhiannon and Jan Logie MP released a statement which said they have found that the ongoing abuses of human and legal rights are so serious that the Commonwealth meeting scheduled for Colombo should not proceed and that the Sri Lanka government should not be given the chair of CHOGM for the next two years.
Senator Rhiannon will be reporting her findings to the Australian parliament this week, the announcement further states.
It also states that A special media briefing will be held today (11) at 10.00am at the Terminal 1 of the Sydney International Airport, Australia, regarding the incident.
