The World Federation of Democratic Youth is deeply concerned about the detention and suppression going on in Sri Lanka against the student leaders of Universities.
It is noteworthy that the leaders of Inter University Student Union elected from university students of Sri Lanka has been arrested and put twice into detention for 44 days in last three months. In both time he was taken into custody while he was leading peaceful students’ protests against privatization and lack of institutional facilities. Along with Premaratne Mr. Gihan Seneviratne, president of the Visual Art Faculty Students Union of the Visual and Performing Arts University was also arrested in charge of defaming Mahendra Rajapakse as a triumphant monarch after defeating LTTE in last May. Further 14 undergraduate students had been arrested on September 17 with the fake charge of damaging property of a medical college. In addition to that, 13 student leaders of Peradeniya University (the largest university in Sri Lanka) were also imprisoned. Nearly 25 student leaders from different universities have been suspended. The situation is becoming more worsened day by day.
This series suppression against peaceful student movement & decent opinion is sole violation of human right and democratic norms in the country.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth demands to Rajapakse Government to release all the student leaders unconditionally and address their genuine demands related with educational infrastructure and facilities.
We urge all youth and student organizations affiliated with WFDY to support the cause led by our member organizations- the Socialist Student Union and Socialist Youth Union in this very time of student movement.
The WFDY HQ warns against Rajapakse Government to carry more solidarity campaigns in solidarity with Sri-Lankan student if such blatant suppression is not stopped now.