Lanka minister threatens to break limbs of activists

A senior Sri Lankan minister has threatened to "break the limbs" of three right activists who he says had campaigned against the country at the just concluded UNHRC session, even as the organisation's head warned against any reprisals.

The threat was made publicly by the Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva who claimed the activists, all journalists had lied at the Geneva meeting.

Naming the three and a leading non-governmental activist Silva said, "I would break the limbs of journalists who went abroad and made various statements against the country".

The minister was addressing a public meeting to protest against the passage of the US sponsored resolution at Kiribathgoda. Silva also claimed that it was he who forced the former convener of Sri Lanka's free media movement to leave the country.

His comments came as a section of the state media stepped up a campaign against independent journalists and NGO activists in the run upto the vote at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva last Thursday.

Sri Lanka lost the US backed resolution urging the island for accountability over rights violations and action over reconciliation with Tamil minority.

The three NGO activists, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Nimalka Fernando and Sunila Abeysekera faced criticism over their submissions in Geneva which the government claimed was anti-national.

Fearing such reprisals, the UN rights chief Navi Pillay had warned against such moves, noting "threats and intimidations" had been carried out in the run-up to a contested war crime probe report.

She told reporters in Geneva in last night that the run-up to the vote was marked by "an unprecedented and totally unacceptable level of threats...directed at Sri Lankan activists who had traveled to Geneva".

"There must be no reprisals against Sri Lankan human rights defenders in the aftermath of adoptions of a resolution on Sri Lanka," she said.