Description

Three young men were reported to have been arrested by Ratnapura Police for photographing Vesak celebrations on 19th May – the day after Vesak Poya day. A group led by a Buddhist monk had made a complaint to the Police accusing them of video recording the area using a drone camera to provide footage to the terrorists. Arrestees - Anushka Dilhara – an activist and a student in Sabaragamuwa University along with two of his friends were charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) . There was no restrictions with regards to photographing the area. INFORM believes, since the complaint was made by Buddhist monk against Muslim persons, this arbitrary arrest was based on ethnic profiling. According to Janayugaya newspaper, they have been granted bail on 26th June after being detained more than a month.