Detainee dies in custody

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 1999, 23:04 GMT]
The Forum for Human Dignity, a human rights organisation, has requested the government funded Anti-Harassment Committee to furnish more information about the death of a prisoner, Marimuttu Balenthiran during his detention in Welikada prison.

The Anti-Harassment Committee has been appointed by the government to inquire into allegations of human right abuses and excesses by the Sri Lankan security forces.

The Secretary of the Forum for Human Dignity, Ms Maheswary Velautham, has written to the Secretary of the Anti-Harassment Committee saying that she had received information that Balenthiran, who was a mental patient, had died in custody on May 17.

She has asked the Anti-Harassment Committee to confirm whether the news is correct and if so, to give details as to how and under what circumstances he died.

The Forum for Human Dignity has also asked the Secretary of the Anti-Harassment Committee for details from the Judicial Medical Officer's report if an autopsy had been conducted on the detainee's body.

The Forum has also asked the Anti-Harassment Committee to describe what happened to the body of the prisoner.