Abducted Tamil man found dumped with severe torture injuries
on:
A Tamil man who was abducted allegedly by Sri Lanka’s intelligence operatives in the early hours of Wednesday from a Church in Mannar, has been found dumped last night with severe torture injuries, relatives and police said.
Santhiyogu Anton Dani was abducted from Uyilankulam church premises in Mannar in the early hours of Wednesday, days after his family had been frequented by the intelligence officers in search of him since mid-May.
His wife, Anton Mathuvanthy in a complaint with Mannar Police and Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRC) said her husband had been abducted while being in the protection of the Uyilankulam Church.
The father of two was found dumped blindfolded at an isolated place at Nochchikulam Wednesday night around 11.30 with severe torture injuries. Photographs exclusive made available to Ceylonews show apparent burnt injuries all over his body – a trademark for Sri Lanka’s torture.
The 38-year old man is now receiving treatment at the Mannar hospital under police protection.
The latest case of abduction and torture has taken place ironically on the same day when Sri Lanka promised the UN Human Rights Council to implement in full the UN resolution, which also demands Sri Lanka to end ongoing torture and abduction by the government security forces, in addition to probe the past incidents.
According to his wife Mathuvanthy, he has been burnt with heated metals and badly beaten up. During several hours of torture, he has also been hung by his neck and finding it difficult to talk as a result.
Wanni district Parliamentarian Charles Nirmalanathan has also visited him at the hospital.
Anton has told his wife that the abductors had walked into his room in the church, tied his hands and gagged his mouth, before bundling into a vehicle and driving him away to an unidentified location where he was tortured.
He has also told his wife he had seen another person being badly tortured by his abductors.
Santhiyagu had been arrested previously in 2001 on suspicion of having links with the devastating attack on the Katunayake International Airport by the Tamil Tigers on July 24, 2001. Having gone through severe torture then, he was later freed by a Sri Lanka Court without any charges.
He has been living with his family in Pallimunai, Mannar since then. Mannar police said they are conducting investigation in this regard.
It was only yesterday that President Maithripala Sirisena joined the walk organized by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka under the theme “Stop Torture”.
Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake, Chairperson and Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission, human rights activists, school students and many others joined in the walk.
A Human Rights activist in Colombo said that President is empowered to take much more swift concrete action than walking to end torture and culture of impunity.
