HRW urges halt to UK deportations to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2011, 22:30 GMT]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized Wednesday the British government’s decision to deport asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, saying they should not be sent back home until the situation improves there. Brad Adams, South Asia director of the New York based human rights organisation, told BBC Sinhala service: "we urge the British government to hold off sending people who could face persecution on return". He was speaking a day before Britain is scheduled to deport a large number of people on a chartered flight to Colombo.

"We don't think it is the time for large scale deportation to take place from United Kingdom" says the HRW.

"People who are critical of Sri Lankan government are now often targeted. People who were opposed to the Tamil Tigers, but were critical of the government sometimes got victimised".

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