VISWALINGAM GOPITHAS VS. GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA

Fair Trials International has filed an application, before the United Nations Human Rights Committee on behalf of British national, Viswalingam Gopithas. Mr Gopithas is a UK national from London where he lived with his young family before his arrest in Sri Lanka in 2007.

Mr Gopithas was arrested four years ago on suspicion that he was supporting the Tamil Tigers and has been detained since then without trial. FTI is challenging this arbitrary and indefinite detention under Sri Lanka’s notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act which gives detainees no power to challenge their detention in the Sri Lankan courts and allows indefinite detention without trial. Concerns about this law and other security measures have led the European Union to impose trade sanctions on Sri Lanka.

FTI would like to thank the Sri Lankan organisation (Home for Human Rights) and Daniel Jones of Argent Chambers, London for their invaluable pro bono work on the application.

Mr Gopithas is the only British national known to be held under this extraordinary law and FTI has requested that the British government raise its concern about the arbitrary detention of Mr Gopithas in violation of international human rights standards.