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Federation of University Teachers’ Association, Frontline Socialist Party fight for remanded Covid-19 positive students 

29 Aug 2021

Three student activists tested positive last week  By Pamodi Waravita The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) yesterday (29) raised concerns about three arrested student activists contracting Covid-19 while in remand custody, while the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) stated that they would raise these concerns with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) and local and international human rights organisations.  “Three of the activists who were arrested during the first week of August have tested positive for Covid-19. Since the PCR tests conducted at the time of their arbitrary arrest were all negative, it is clear that they contracted the virus while in remand custody, when considering the three-week time frame between their arrests and being tested positive with the second PCR test. We would like to remind the Government that these are university students and trade union activists, and not common criminals or terrorists. If any of them develop complications due to Covid-19, the responsibility lies with the government,” said the FUTA in a press release yesterday.  The three students are FSP Administrative Secretary Chameera Koswatte, Inter-University Student Federation (IUSF) Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and University of Sri Jayewardenepura General Student Association President Amila Sandeepa, according FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda. They have tested positive for the virus while being held at the Badulla Taldena Covid-19 quarantine center, run by the Department of Prisons, following their arrest.  “Their fundamental rights are also being violated as they are not allowed to meet with their lawyers, citing health reasons. Why can’t a lawyer meet their client within health guidelines? If industries can function within health guidelines outside of prison, then why are lawyers prevented from seeing their clients due to Covid-19. At the Badulla Taldena quarantine centre, which has a capacity for only 80 people, 160 had been held. The Government is responsible for these activists contracting the virus. We hope to inform the JSC, and international and local human rights organisations regarding the threat to their lives that has now arisen,” said Jayagoda in a media statement.  Education sector unions and activists who had participated in protests during the first week of August were arrested in the past few weeks. Activists Koshila Hansamali Perera and Koswatta were arrested on 3 August, while Mudalige was arrested on 5 August. Sandeepa was arrested on 5 August while IUSF representative Udara Sandaruwan and former IUSF Convener Rev. Rathkawwe Jinarathana was allegedly threatened on a number of occasions over the past two weeks.  A range of demonstrations took place throughout Colombo and around the country over the last month in protest against the Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill and in demand of salary increments for school teachers.  Over 31 arrests of activists, trade unionists and students were made in July at the protests condemning the KDNU Bill. Although bail was later granted to those arrested, approximately 16 of them, including Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin, were then forcibly sent to quarantine centres for 14 days. At the time, it received condemnation from several parties, including the country’s main opposition the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the Lawyers for Social Justice Organisation, and the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy.  “On previous occasions, when courts refused to accede to anti-democratic requests by the police to ban protests and the courts granted bail to those arrested under false charges of violating health regulations, the Government and its mercenary police force attempted to forcibly quarantine protestors. Because this approach earned broad social displeasure and condemnation from the legal community, the police have shifted tactics and charged these student activists under the provisions of the public property ordinance (Offences Against Public Property Act No. 12 of 1982). It is an act of political vindictiveness as there is no moral justification for their detention – all they did was protest and exercise their democratic right to dissent,” said the FUTA yesterday.


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