2012-09-07 17:03:26

S. Lanka Catholic bishops call on government to ensure rights for all


(September 07, 2012) Sri Lanka’s Catholic bishops have deplored human rights abuses in the country, calling on the government to find a political solution to the country's problems and ensure human rights for all its citizens. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) holding its Plenary Session in Colombo, issued a press release on Tuesday expressing concern “about some of the issues that seem to create a sense of loss in human and religious values” in society. The release signed by CBCSL president, Card Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, and CBCSL Secretary General, Bishop Norbert Andradi of Anuradhapura lamented violence against prison inmates that often leads to hospitalisation, even death; threats and reprisals against farmers who do not supply enough rice and (failed) reforms that undercut the educational system. The bishops noted that what is happening in the nation's prisons is first and foremost "a violation of international laws, which requires that prisoners be treated with dignity and that their safety must be ensured." In the educational sector, in response to professors and teachers demanding more rights and greater freedom, the authorities have closed universities (except for faculties of medicine) and escalating the confrontation. Sri Lanka’s bishops thus appealed to the government to “work towards a political solution.” “After all it went through in the past, this nation needs a lasting peace," they added.







All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.