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In a statement issued today, Eight Human Rights  Ambassadors of Europe including the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden called on the Sri Lankan government to " respect human rights defenders such as Hizbullah".

The statement issued by the Ambassadors of the United Kingsdom, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands said that after ten months of Detention, Hejaaz Hizbullah was being accused of speech related offences.

Prominent Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department on the 14th of April 2020.

He was thereafter accused in the media of various activities related to terrorism. He was thereafter produced on the 18th of February 2021 where the Attorney General informed court that the entire case against Hizbullah was to be based on purported statements made by children.

Hizbullah and his Lawyers have maintained that the entire case is a fabrication by sleuths.

The statement further said " Mr. Hizbullah is a leading advocate if the rights of people from minority communities including Muslims in Sri Lana and a vocal critic of discriminatory policies" .

The statement called on the government to respect persons such as Hizbullah.

" We join the UN High COmmissioner for Human Rights, special procedures mandate holders, in urging the Government of Sri LAnka to respect Human Rights defenders such as Hizbullah" it said.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Eight-EU-HR-Ambassadors-raise-concern-over-Hejaaz-Hizbullah/108-207510

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The circular containing the guidelines with regard to the burial of COVID-19 victims has been issued, the Health Ministry said.

Some key guidelines are as follows,

• The relatives of the deceased should inform the Director/ Head of the health care institution (Where the death has occurred) of their desire to bury the corpse without delay.
• The Director of the hospital/ Head of the health care institution should obtain a written request from relatives for burial.
• The relatives need to provide a coffin in advance.
• It is the duty of the director/ Head of health care institution to transport the corpse in a coffin provided by the relatives to a designated location in Colombo Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (office of JMO) / BH Welikanda where the corpse will be received by the designated officer.
• The vehicle transporting the corpse to "Nachchikuda pier" will leave daily at 5.30 a.m. from the designated receiving center nominated by the DGHS.
• Corpse carried by authorized officers will be handed over to the respective authority at the "Nachchikuda pier" which is supervised by the area MOH representative PHI.
• Burial will take place by the facilitation and coordination of the Police/Security personnel at an Island earmarked by the Government of Sri Lanka in the presence of relatives, MOH his representative PHI of the area of burial.
• Religious activities are permitted only at hospital.
• The relatives or unauthorized persons are not permitted to obtain photographs, video and video calls in the health care institution/s.
• Only two relatives are permitted to be present at the burial.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Circular-on-burial-of-COVID-19-victims-issued/108-206952

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A leading Muslim organisation in Sri Lanka will this week send an official letter of concern to the global Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the World Muslim Congress, seeking their intervention to urge the Sri Lankan government to allocate a decent land for the burial of Muslim COVID-19 victims.

The Daily Mirror learns that the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre, which is a member of the World Muslim Congress will raise serious concerns with the global bodies and will also send a letter to the World Muslim Congress office in Geneva urging for immediate intervention after the government announced that burials of the COVID-19 dead would take place on the Iranaithivu Island, in the Gulf of Mannar.

Senior Muslim officials said they were disappointed at the government’s decision to allocate the Iranaithivu Isle for the burials and instead urged the government to find a suitable land elsewhere in the country.

The Daily Mirror learns that two lands have been proposed by the Muslim community - the Kupiyawatta burial grounds in Colombo and a five acre land in Mannar, in the north which belongs to a local mosque in the area, where ground water level reports have been carried out by the Geologists from the Department of Geology from the University of Peradeniya.

When questioned, a senior geologist from the Geology Department of the Peradeniya University confirmed that ground water level reports had been carried out on both the lands and the proposed land in Mannar was found to have low water levels.

Senior Muslim officials said the proposed land in Mannar was ready to undertake burials of the COVID19 dead immediately and were concerned why these requests were ignored by the health authorities who were notified.

Meanwhile Minister of Water Supply, Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Daily Mirror that according to his knowledge, he was not aware of any feasibility report carried out on the Iranaithivu Island to bury COVID-19 dead but said he had proposed two more lands, one in the North and another in the East which had low water levels and was suitable to bury the COVID19 dead. He said he had handed over these recommendations to the expert committee for them to decide.(JAMILA HUSAIN)

http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Muslims-to-raise-concerns-over-Iranaithivu-burial-with-global-bodies/108-206971

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Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah and Principal of Madrasa School Mohammed Shakeel were further remanded till March 18 by the Fort Magistrate’s Court today.

They were earlier remanded under section 2 (1) (h) of the PTA and section 3(1) of the ICCPR Act.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Hizbullah-and-Madrasa-School-Principal-further-remanded/108-206945