A church pastor from Avissawella, near Colombo, was abducted, tortured and left unconscious after he was stopped by a policeman.
The pastor was travelling home on his motorbike on the evening of 29 October and was flagged down by a policeman. When he stopped his motorbike, he was grabbed from behind. His mouth was covered with a piece of cloth and he was loaded into a vehicle and lost consciousness. His attackers then took him to an unknown location and tortured him with electric shocks until the following day.
The pastor was left unconscious and then dumped by his attackers. A passer-by came to his aid and he was later admitted to hospital. It is not currently known who the perpetrators were.
Christians make up eight percent of the population of Sri Lanka, and face frequent persecution and local opposition. Police often collude with or refuse to take action against the perpetrators.
From National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
