In an official statement, the Embassy of Switzerland issued a set of clarifications regarding the abduction of a local employee in Colombo.
To stop false information circulating, the embassy issued the following clarifications:
- The Swiss embassy immediately lodged a formal complaint and if fully cooperating with the Sri Lanka authorities in order to support police investigation and initiate an inquiry over the case, while duly considering the health condition of the victim and their relatives.
- Due to deteriorating health condition, the victim is currently not in a state to testify.
- It has been alleged that the Swiss overnment rejected a request for the extradition of an employee of the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and his family. No such request has been submitted.
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On November 25, a local employee was forcibly detained and "seriously threatened at length by unidentified men and forced in order to disclose embassy-related information," the statement said.
The New York Times reported the men "forced her to unlock her cellphone data, which contained information about Sri Lankans who have recently sought asylum in Switzerland, and the names of Sri Lankans who aided them as they fled the country because they feared for their safety after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidency in elections this month". Before releasing her, they reportedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone of her ordeal.
The employee was also said to have been questioned about Nishantha Silva, head of the organised crimes investigation unit at the CID, who reportedly fled to Switzerland with his family, without the approval of the Sri Lankan police department. The investigator had reportedly been fearing for his security since the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Sri Lankan president. Silva had been credited with pushing through several high profile cases implicating military and state personnel.
