AI is concerned about the reported arrests of thousands of Tamil people every month in Colombo, mostly without any valid reason. The government says there were 15000 arrests in Colombo under emergency legislation between June and December 1993 in an almost continuous operation against the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). The report discusses patterns of arrest and detention in Colombo. Also discussed are: torture in secret detention, e.g. the case of Arulappu Jude Arulrajah; unjustified rearrests; notification of arrests to families; allegations of police extortion; access for lawyers; language difficulties in interrogation; and length of detention.
