WASHINGTON: A US-based human rights group has asked Sri Lanka not to deport members of Pakistani minority Ahmadiya community until the UN refugee agency has full access to them and determines their need for international protection.
The Human Rights Watch said in its report that at least 142 Pakistanis, mostly of the minority Ahmadiya community, arrested in police sweeps in Sri Lanka in June 2014 are being detained and are at risk of deportation.
“Sri Lankan authorities are threatening Pakistani minority group members with deportation at the very time when persecution of these groups is escalating in Pakistan,” the UN refugees director Bill Frelick said.
“Preventing asylum seekers from lodging claims in no way absolves Sri Lanka from its duty not to return them to possible persecution,” he added.
The sweeps on Pakistani minorities in Negombo, a city on the western coast of Sri Lanka, commenced on June 9, with authorities citing security concerns for the crackdown. Negombo has been a major haven for refugees from Pakistan. In 2013, UNHCR registered nearly 1,500 refugee claims of Pakistanis in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lankan authorities should know that Pakistan fails to protect its minority communities from persecution,” Frelick said.
“Sri Lanka must honor its international obligations, and allow UNHCR access to ensure that no detainee is deported to face the risk of persecution or torture.”
