Recognizing the Arrest of Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

Floor Speech

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Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Mr. Ponnambalam has recently been subjected to harassment and wrongful detention by Sri Lankan law enforcement. Despite video evidence contradicting the official account and lack of an official arrest warrant, Mr. Ponnambalam was arrested for behaving in an unruly manner towards state intelligence officers during a public meeting. Fortunately, he was released on bail shortly after his arrest.

While I am glad to hear of Mr. Ponnambalam's release, his harassment by Sri Lankan authorities remains highly troubling, and is part of a stream of attacks on minority members of the Sri Lankan parliament. Mr. Ponnambalam is a member of the minority Tamil ethnic group who has advocated for the marginalized and spoken at the United Nations Human Rights Council about the killing of Tamil journalists. Other members of the Sri Lankan parliament have faced harassment because of their activism over the past few months on the destruction of Tamil places of worship, militarization in the Northeast, and other crimes against members of the Tamil ethnic group.

Mr. Speaker, we must stand with the victims of human rights violations in their advocacy for their rights. I hope my colleagues will join me in expressing support for Mr. Ponnambalam and in calling for the Sri Lankan government to commit to democratic values and practices.

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