Viraj Mendis (died 16 August 2024) was a Sri Lankan national who claimed the right of

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

at the Church of the Ascension in Hulme, Manchester, England during the 1980s. Mendis had arrived in the United Kingdom in October 1973 on a twelve-month

student visa A visa (; also known as visa stamp) is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, area ...

but overstayed his visa. He was an active supporter of the

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

and, in the UK, the Revolutionary Communist Group and claimed danger of death if he was sent back to Sri Lanka. Following a march to protest against his deportation on 20 December 1986 he ran into the Church of the Ascension and claimed the right of sanctuary. He stayed in the church for the next two years with the help of the rector John Methuen. The church became the focus of the "Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign" against his deportation. In late 1988 his supporters were invited to address an assembly at Burnage High School where pupils were encouraged to enlist the help of parents to his cause. One parent took exception to this and contacted the ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'', and the story was then picked up on by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''; shortly after Mendis was removed. On 18 January 1989 police raided the church and arrested Mendis, which led to a large demonstration and questions in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. He was deported back to Sri Lanka and his fears did not materialize. Mendis claimed his case had received so much publicity that the Sri Lankan government did not dare to harm him. Eight British activists accompanied him to Sri Lanka to offer protection. He was later granted asylum in Germany and became chairperson of the International Human Rights Association in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

() and worked defending refugees facing deportation, and on Tamil liberation. While in Sri Lanka, Mendis married his partner Karen Roberts, and was able to return to the UK several times. However, in 2010 he was refused permission to enter for the funeral service of John Methuen. In 2018 Mendis' organisation concluded a successful campaign to defend 13 activists, 12 of them Tamil, against charges of "fraud, false documentation, money laundering and extortion". In June of that year, the 13 were found not guilty by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. The Sri Lankan Government subsequently listed him as a terrorist. He died in a German hospital on 16 August 2024.

References

2024 deaths People deported from the United Kingdom People from Hulme Right of asylum in the United Kingdom Sinhalese activists Sri Lankan activists Sri Lankan emigrants to Germany Year of birth missing {{SriLanka-activist-stub