Torture, 'disappearances' and deaths in custody increase - Amnesty

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 July 2000, 18:29 GMT]
An increase in torture, "disappearances" and deaths in custody have been reported in Sri Lanka since new emergency regulations were introduced by the President in May 2000 the Amnesty International said in a report on Sri Lanka released Wednesday.

The organisation in its 18-page report titled "Sri Lanka: New emergency regulations -- erosion of human rights protection" said that it is concerned that wider powers given to the security forces under these emergency regulations may have contributed to the increase.

The regulations confer powers of arrest to "any authorized person" in addition to the police and armed forces, and considerably extends their powers to detain.

The amnesty report highlights the removal of several safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention and the danger this poses for the safety of detainees.