Sri Lanka must respect the right of religious minorities: Amnesty International

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has said that the Sri Lankan authorities must respect the right of religious minorities to carry out the final rites of their relatives in accordance with their own traditions.

The statement came following reports that two Muslims, who died due to COVID-19 infection, were forcibly cremated on the instructions of the authorities and against the wishes of the deceased’s families.

Muslim community constitutes nine per cent of the population of the Island-nation.

The first death of a Muslim in Sri Lanka happened on 31 March in Negombo before national guidelines were revised to exclude burials. Despite protests by the relatives of the deceased, community leaders and Muslim politicians, a burial was blocked by the authorities and a cremation took place instead.

The second death in the Muslim community happened on Wednesday (1 April) at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the person was cremated a day later despite efforts by the victim’s family and members of the Muslim community to carry out a burial.

The WHO guidelines for the safe management of a dead body during the COVID-19 crisis allows for either burials or cremations, and this position was mirrored in the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health’s initial guidelines issued on 27 March.

“At this difficult time, the authorities should be bringing communities together - not deepening divisions between them,” said Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.

“Grieving relatives of people who have died because of COVID-19 should be able to bid farewell to their loved ones in the way that they wish, especially where this is permissible under international guidelines.”

Forced cremations during the coronavirus crisis have given rise to concerns that Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority community is again being targeted by the authorities. Last year, the Sri Lankan authorities failed to intervene to stop attacks on Muslim-owned shops and homes by violent mobs.

Amnesty is urging the Sri Lankan government to ensure that religious rites and practices are respected in line with international guidelines. Any changes to guidelines should involve prior consultation with the affected community, it said.