*Update: Greens Leader Christine Milne has tweeted that Senator Rhiannon has been released.
Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon has been detained by the Sri Lankan government after carrying out a fact finding mission investigating human rights abuse in the country.
'Lee was in Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission, investigating human rights issues and press freedom', a posting on her Twitter account read.
'Lee is being detained by Immigration Officials in Colombo and they have prohibited her from speaking to media or any other locals.'
Senator Rhiannon was taken to a Colombo Hotel with New Zealand MP Jan Logie after meeting with members of civil society groups, Fairfax reports.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
She says she was detained for breaking media laws, a charge she denies.
“This excessive response from the government of Sri Lanka is just further evidence why the country should not have been awarded the right to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and the chair of CHOGM for two years',she told Fairfax
“Our detention highlights the Sri Lankan government is unwilling to allow a free exchange of ideas.”
The human rights record of Sri Lanka is currently under heavy scrutiny; reports in the Indian press said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was being pressured not to attend CHOGM by Tamil groups.
