wfn.org | WCC DEMANDS RELEASE OF SRI LANKAN ECUMENICAL OFFICIAL

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

> For immediate release - 22/04/2009 16:35:55

WCC DEMANDS RELEASE OF SRI LANKAN ECUMENICAL OFFICIAL

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel 
Kobia has urged the government of Sri Lanka to immediately release 
from detention Shanta Fernando, an ecumenical official who has been 
under arrest for nearly a month.

In a 21 April letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Kobia expressed 
"deep concern" as "no specific reason for the arrest or detention of 
Mr Fernando has been given so far". "Widely recognized as an Asian 
ecumenical leader with integrity and a strong commitment to justice 
and peace," Fernando "remains a victim of unlawful arrest and detention".

Fernando, who is the executive secretary of the Justice and Peace 
Commission of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), 
was taken into custody by the Terrorism Investigation Department of 
the Sri Lankan police at Colombo International Airport on 27 March 2009.

In his letter, Kobia stressed that "the actions surrounding the 
arrest and detention of Mr Fernando did not follow the procedures 
prescribed by law. As the reasons for his arrest have not been 
provided, there is thereby a violation of the fundamental rights 
guaranteed by the Sri Lankan Constitution," as well as of 
international human rights law.

> Full text of the letter:
> http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6807

> Read also a news story by ACT International:
> http://act-intl.org/news.php?uid=681

> National Christian Council of Sri Lanka:
> http://www.nccsl.org

WCC member churches in Sri Lanka:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/asia/sri-lanka.html

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 
6363media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, 
witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical 
fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 
349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing 
more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works 
cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general 
secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in 
Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.