(UTV | COLOMBO) – Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen today (10) expressed his gratitude to the Government for allowing the burial of the remains of COVID-victims in Sri Lanka.
Alhamdhulillah! I thank Hon. PM @PresRajapaksa for your statement to allow burial of #COVIDー19 infected dead.We hope that the words would be turned to action soon.
I along with our party ACMC wish to convey our heartfelt salutations to all who joined hands to stand for justice!
— Rishad Bathiudeen (@rbathiudeen) February 10, 2021
The Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) in a Twitter message thanked Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa while adding that “We hope that the words would be turned to action soon.”
“I along with our Party ACMC wish to convey our heartfelt salutations to all who joined hands to stand for justice,” the former Minister stated.
The Premier announced that the permission will be granted for the burial of the remains of COVID-19 victims in Sri Lanka, which is practiced in other countries.
Sri Lanka’s controversial policy to cremate the bodies of COVID-victims has outraged Muslims, for whom cremation is forbidden. Experts pointed out that the decision is not based on scientific evidence and targets minorities.
Opposition to the policy has grown in recent weeks and sparked protests around the country and around the world.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) on 01 January 2021, stated that the COVID-19 cannot be transmitted by dead bodies, while the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka stated on 31 December that there is “No solid evidence” supporting the regulation.
Furthermore, the Expert Panel appointed by the Health Ministry of Sri Lanka recommended on 29 December that disposal of bodies could include burial as well as cremation, and the Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu Religious Leaders wrote in a joint-letter on 26 December that religious rights are protected by the Sri Lankan Constitution.
In November the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) along with the Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), World Health Organisation (WHO), and numerous other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) around the world condemned the policy as a violation of religious rights guaranteed by international law.
In April, 4 Special Rapporteurs attached to the United Nations (UN) appealed to the Sri Lankan Government, stating that the regulation violated the right to freedom of religion, and that the Government should combat attempts to instigate religious hatred and violence.
Several Fundamental Rights (FR) Petitions were filed against the regulation at the Supreme Court, which dismissed the cases without explanation.
Sri Lanka’s controversial policy to cremate the bodies of COVID-victims was also expected to be raised at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva during its forthcoming session.
DW
