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Torture awaits Tamils in Sri Lanka: Charity

29 Sep 2011 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}      

The British government should review plans to deport a host of Tamils to Sri Lanka as they could end in detention and be tortured, a British medical charity said yesterday.

Up to 50 failed asylum seekers are due to be forcibly removed from the country aboard an aircraft chartered by the UK Border Agency, reports said. The plan has alarmed a number of NGOs, including a medical charity that treats victims of torture, which fears the British government cannot be sure that those deported will be safe in Sri Lanka.

Freedom from Torture, previously known as Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, said around 400 Sri Lankans sought its clinical help since 2010.

The charity said it had clinical evidence that a number of these people have been tortured in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war in May 2009, some after being returned to the country.

Several NGOs have also warned they have evidence that people with suspected links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) risk maltreatment in Sri Lanka.

“The Sri Lankan government continues to show shocking disregard for the due process rights of anyone deemed linked to the Tamil Tigers. Those detained have been tortured and ‘disappeared’,” said Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch Asia director.

Amnesty International also said there is evidence showing Tamils forcefully removed from Australia became victims of torture upon return to Sri Lanka.

AGENCIES