{"source_url": "https://www.thestar.com", "url": "https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest.html", "title": "Switzerland stresses diplomatic safety in Sri Lanka arrest", "top_image": "https://images.thestar.com/vhYe38Y1SjaZgNgYUo7_-0tSqgo=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "meta_img": "https://images.thestar.com/vhYe38Y1SjaZgNgYUo7_-0tSqgo=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "images": ["https://images.thestar.com/58NyeNdP6DOio5ee5T1tBNnPDyo=/1086x869/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "https://www.thestar.com/assets/svg/app-store.svg", "https://www.thestar.com/assets/svg/logo-thestar.svg", "https://www.thestar.com/assets/svg/google-play.svg", "https://t.co/i/adsct?txn_id=nuz9l&p_id=Twitter&tw_sale_amount=0&tw_order_quantity=0", "https://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=3005674&cv=2.0&cj=1", "https://analytics.twitter.com/i/adsct?txn_id=nuz9l&p_id=Twitter&tw_sale_amount=0&tw_order_quantity=0", "https://images.thestar.com/vhYe38Y1SjaZgNgYUo7_-0tSqgo=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "https://www.thestar.com/assets/svg/brandmark-thestar.svg"], "movies": [], "text": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government.\n\nBefore her arrest, the Sri Lankan employee had reportedly said she was abducted, held for hours, sexually assaulted and threatened by captors who demanded that she disclose embassy-related information.\n\nShe was granted bail on Monday after two weeks of detention on charges that she made statements to create disaffection toward the government and fabricated evidence.\n\nSri Lankan authorities have said they investigated her complaint but found no evidence to file charges against anyone.\n\nIn a diplomatic note released to the media Tuesday evening, Switzerland said it is the responsibility of any government to protect the diplomatic missions of other states.\n\nSwitzerland said the relationship between the two countries \u201cwas marred by misunderstandings surrounding\u201d the incident. However, it said it \u201choped for a swift return to an environment conducive to resuming the positive co-operation.\u201c\n\n\u201cRecognizing that local staff is subject to local laws, the embassy is convinced that both sides will remain attentive to the working conditions and the well-being of all staff of diplomatic missions,\u201c it said.\n\nThe Swiss foreign ministry has previously called the alleged Nov. 25 abduction of the embassy employee a \u201cvery serious and unacceptable attack\u201d and summoned Sri Lanka\u2019s ambassador to demand an investigation. It also criticized a lack of due process in the case.\n\nYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...\n\nThe Sri Lankan government has insisted that evidence collected by its investigators did not support the sequence of events provided by the embassy that the woman had been abducted by captors who demanded she reveal unspecified information about the embassy.\n\nSri Lanka also rejected a request by the embassy to fly the employee and her family to Switzerland.\n\nBefore the woman was detained, she was summoned to Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigations Department to make statements and was subjected to medical tests and a psychiatric analysis.\n\nSri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa later said he had become the victim in the alleged abduction because foreign media reported about it before the facts were established and critics accused his government of carrying it out.\n\nRajapaksa became president after winning a Nov. 16 election. Shortly after that, a Sri Lankan police investigator, Nishantha Silva, fled to Switzerland.\n\nGet more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now\n\nYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...\n\nSilva had been investigating alleged abductions, torture, killings and enforced disappearances of journalists and activists while Rajapaksa was defence chief under the presidency of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa.\n\nGotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of overseeing what were known as \u201cwhite van\u201d abduction squads that whisked away critics. Some were returned after being tortured, while others were never seen again. He has denied the allegations.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["smg_asia", "smg2_world", "smg2_news"], "tags": [], "authors": ["Bharatha Mallawarachi", "The Associated Press"], "publish_date": "Wed Jan  1 00:00:00 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government.", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "/favicon-thestar.ico", "meta_data": {"viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=2.0, user-scalable=yes", "msapplication-TileColor": "#FFFFFF", "msapplication-TileImage": "/favicon-thestar-144.png", "msapplication-square70x70logo": "/favicon-thestar-70.png", "msapplication-square150x150logo": "/favicon-thestar-150.png", "msapplication-square310x310logo": "/favicon-thestar-310.png", "apple-itunes-app": "app-id=379481068", "apple-mobile-web-app-title": "thestar.com", "application-name": "thestar.com", "fb": {"pages": 134392236659479}, "storyuuid": "73de463e927058bc38262a5fdbf37da7", "description": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government.", "keywords": "smg_asia,smg2_world,smg2_news", "news_keywords": "smg_asia,smg2_world,smg2_news", "article": {"published": "2020-01-01", "modified": "2020-01-01", "section": "Asia", "publisher": "https://www.facebook.com/torontostar"}, "thumbnail": "https://images.thestar.com/NQi_JaBC0HawjLI54ARIvAg9Qyw=/93x74/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "og": {"title": "Switzerland stresses diplomatic safety in Sri Lanka arrest | The Star", "type": "article", "url": "https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest.html", "site_name": "thestar.com", "description": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government.", "image": "https://images.thestar.com/vhYe38Y1SjaZgNgYUo7_-0tSqgo=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg"}, "bt": {"url": "https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest.html", "author": "Bharatha Mallawarachi", "id": "73de463e927058bc38262a5fdbf37da7", "pubDate": 1577871679000, "modDate": 1577871869442, "type": "Story", "dateDisplay": "4:44 AM, Wed., Jan. 1, 2020"}, "twitter": {"card": "summary_large_image", "site": "@TorontoStar", "title": "Switzerland stresses diplomatic safety in Sri Lanka arrest | The Star", "description": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government.", "image": "https://images.thestar.com/vhYe38Y1SjaZgNgYUo7_-0tSqgo=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "creator": "Bharatha Mallawarachi"}, "parsely-title": "Switzerland stresses diplomatic safety in Sri Lanka arrest", "parsely-link": "https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest.html", "parsely-type": "post", "parsely-image-url": "https://images.thestar.com/NQi_JaBC0HawjLI54ARIvAg9Qyw=/93x74/smart/filters:cb(1577871868622)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest/SLS101-1230_2019_091221.jpg", "parsely-pub-date": "2020-01-01T09:41:19.000Z", "parsely-section": "Asia", "parsely-tags": "smg_asia, smg2_world, smg2_news, word count: 350-700 words", "parsely-author": "Bharatha Mallawarachi", "parsely-metadata": "{\"storyuuid\": \"73de463e927058bc38262a5fdbf37da7\"}"}, "canonical_link": "https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/2020/01/01/switzerland-stresses-diplomatic-safety-in-sri-lanka-arrest.html"}