Lankan-born Aussie scientist appeals to UN against alleged harassment by Lankan Govt.

Prof. Lukman Thalib

Lankan-born Australian scientist Prof. Lukman Thalib has appealed to the United Nations against alleged harassment by the Sri Lankan Government. 

While working as a Senior Professor at Qatar’s State University and as a member of Qatar’s Scientific Committee against Covid-19, Thalib alleged he was subjected to some malicious accusations and his life was turned upside down. 

His name as well as his son’s name had been subjected to slander and defamation from the Lankan Government as well as the State-controlled media, which had falsely associated them with those responsible for the terrible explosions in Sri Lanka. A systematic media campaign had been launched, violating the reputation and dignity of Professor Lukman Thalib. Professor is also a chronic leukaemia patient. This news has greatly upset and worn him. 

The Professor believes that the Sri Lankan Government and Judiciary has the responsibility towards those who lost their lives and their relatives as well as the general Sri Lankan people to enlighten the truth with all clarity about heinous terrorist attacks which deeply upset him. His legal team has begun all processes to remove the publications, yet these publications have now turned into systematic violations by the State and the life and security of the Professor has been put at risk. 

He claimed that he is one of the most recent victims of the Government of Sri Lanka’s persecution policy against the Muslim minority in the country as documented in various United Nations reports. As a matter of fact, Prof. Thalib was shocked to see that his relatives from Sri Lanka sent him media articles on 24 February that denigrate his name and threw dire accusations of his involvement in the Easter bombings. 

This was just the beginning of a systematic media campaign against him. The source of these false allegations were statements by senior Government officials and Government-funded media outlets, as well as a highly-politicised Presidential Investigation Commission regarding the bombings. Although his legal team has exercised the right of reply, media organisations and Government agencies have neither removed nor stopped making completely false, slanderous and unfounded claims against him.

Therefore, Prof. Dr. Lukman Thalib, through his team of lawyers, applied to the United Nations Human Rights Committee on 22 April under the Optional Protocol I to the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in order to protect his most fundamental rights. 

In the application, it was stated that unjust and unlawful attacks were made against Prof Thalib’s honour, reputation and presumption of innocence, and that Prof. Thalib was subjected to serious human rights violations and, therefore, was in imminent danger due to the recent actions and unfounded allegations by the Government of Sri Lanka and State-controlled media outlets against him.  

Through means of the current application made to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, it has been declared that the Committee has been subjected to the violations of articles 2, 17, 18 and the violations of articles 7, 9, 10 and 14 of the Convention. 

Ever since he embarked on his post-graduate studies in the UK, Professor Thalib has spent most of his life outside of Sri Lanka. His only connection with his country over the last 20 years has been his very brief visits to his mother. This continued until the passing away of his mother. Following his mother’s death, he had not made any visits to Sri Lanka due to his intense preoccupation with his academic work.   Although Sri Lanka emerged from a long internal conflict in 2009, the reverberations of ethnic conflict remain apparent in the political, social and economic life of the country. For this reason, human rights violations have been exacerbated by terrorist attacks. This situation has been reported many times by the United Nations and international civil human rights organisations.

Unfortunately, following the terrible 2019 Easter bombings, Sri Lankan Muslims endured hate speech, smear campaigns and stigmatisation, and after the terrorist attacks 2,289 people (mostly Muslims) were arrested under emergency laws on suspicion of involvement with terrorism and subsequently charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979. This process was not a legal investigation process to investigate the truth, there was no opportunity for a fair trial, and unfortunately, the explosions that caused the deaths of many civilians were not elucidated. 

Prof. Lukman Thalib has been subjected to very serious systematic violations since he was arbitrarily held in Qatar, where he resided at the time, on 27 July 2020. His academic work, which he had devoted his life to, was disrupted, and his family’s safety and wellbeing suffered devastating setbacks, his health condition deteriorated, and he was faced with very serious risks.

The application for the United Nations Human Rights Committee against violations by Sri Lanka explained above is the first of applications made by his legal team. Preparatory work continues for other applications and lawsuits in order to put an end to the injustices he is facing and for justice to be served.

Prof. Thalib has devoted his life to scientific medical research working for the preservation of human life. He has trained students from all over the world, regardless of their ethnic or religious affinities. Despite being orphaned at a young age in Sri Lanka, he achieved great success in his life as he strove to become a scientist, fulfilling thereby the will of his late father.

His academic success began in early days during high school and since went on to become a leading scientist with outstanding achievements. He was awarded scholarships and other medals opening up opportunities for him to pursue his education and research work in England, Sweden, Japan, Australia, Kuwait, and Qatar among others. 

His scientific studies were recognised internationally by the research community and he was awarded numerous international awards. Many scientists from all over the world have and continue to benefit from his work.