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| Sunday, 16 October 2005 |
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Launch Independent Inquiry into attack on NHRC Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in a joint statement called for an independent investigation should be immediately launched into the attack on the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) headquarters in Colombo during the early morning hours of October 12. The NHRC's offices were ransacked, files were destroyed and newspapers were set on fire. Kerosene was poured throughout the offices. "Although the identity of the attackers is not yet clear, the attack represents a serious threat to the work of the NHRC.," the statement said. It further said: "This appears to be an attempt to intimidate the NHRC, which is the most important human rights institution in Sri Lanka," said Natalie Hill, Deputy Programme Director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Programme. "Such intimidation must not be permitted. The authorities must take all necessary steps to ensure that the NHRC is able to carry out its work independently and in safety." "Given the sensitive nature of the NHRC's investigations, which include alleged abuses by the police, it is necessary to undertake an independent inquiry into the attack and make the findings public," said Tejshree Thapa, South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. |
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