A number of non-governmental organizations have issued a joint statement in support of human rights lawyer, Ambika Satkunanathan who was criticised by the government for testifying before the European Parliament about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.
Issuing a statement, Amnesty International, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch and four other organizations have raised concerns about the response of the Foreign Ministry following the testimony.
Human Rights organisations have said they are deeply concerned about the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on the 4th of February, in which the government denounced testimony given by Ambika Satkunanathan who is a leading human rights lawyer, to the European Parliament on the 27th of January.
They claim the government’s statement clearly constitutes an act of harassment and intimidation.
Through the joint statement, NGOs said Sri Lanka’s international partners, including the European Union, should condemn the Sri Lankan government’s statement and express solidarity with Satkunanathan, who has been targeted for her international engagement, and increase their efforts to engage with Sri Lankan civil society at large.
