Human rights defenders condemn arrest of Sri Lankan rights activists

Colombo: Human rights groups are urging the Sri Lankan government to release two human rights defenders, saying their arrest is an attempt to silence criticism.

A joint statement issued by Amnesty International, Forum Asia, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group and the International Commission of Jurists called Sunday's arrest and detention of Ruki Fernando of the Colombo-based INFORM and Father Praveen Mahesan, a Catholic priest, "arbitrary."

Police say they were arrested and detained under powerful anti-terror laws for trying to create communal disharmony and disturbance.

Sri Lanka faces criticism for cracking down on rights activists and has rejected calls for an international inquiry into the conduct of the final months of a decades-long civil war that ended in 2009.