The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today dismissed the petition filed by six human rights defenders to challenge the deportation of asylum seekers. 

The Supreme Court dismissed the petition on the grounds that Sri Lanka is not signatory to the UN Refugee Convention which was signed in 1951. Three member bench comprising of Priyasad Depp, Rohini Marasinghe and Sarath de Abrew dismissed the petition when the case was taken for hearing today. 

After a brief halt on August 15, the government resumed deportations, which it started on June 9, as a lower court gave permission to detain and deport the asylum seekers back to the countries from where they fled.

 The UNHCR said Sri Lanka's deportation of the refugees back to the places where they fled from is a violation of international law and called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately halt deportations.

The UNHCR guidelines say members of the Pakistani religious minorities including the Ahmadiyya Muslim, Christian and Shia may be in need of international protection and require particularly careful examination of their asylum claims.

At least 157 asylum seekers, including 84 Pakistanis, 71 Afghans and 2 Iranians remained under Sri Lankan detention, according to UNHCR.