A podcast revisits the extraordinary true story of Viraj Mendis, the Sri Lankan activist who sought sanctuary in Ascension Church, Hulme, Manchester in 1986 to avoid deportation.
From BBC Local, the six-part series, In Detail… Sanctuary: An Act of Defiance, explores Mendis’s two years inside the church where he never once stepped outside, fearing for his life due to his outspoken support for Tamil rights during Sri Lanka’s civil war.
The podcast features what is believed to be Mendis’s final long-form interview on this period, offering exclusive reflections never previously heard.
Father John Methuen, the then-vicar of Ascension, played a central role in protecting Mendis and risking his own reputation and safety in doing so.
The series is presented by Father Azariah France-Williams, current rector of the church, who says: “It serves as a clear example of an early culture war, involving migration and deportation, heated parliamentary debates, and home office declarations met with protest and dissent.”
In January 1989, police raided the church and deported Mendis to Sri Lanka, where he had warned he would be killed. He survived and continued to campaign for human rights until his death in 2024.
Head of Audio Commissioning Chris Burns said: “The interview with Mendis himself is central to the story, and as you will hear, it’s a story that touched the lives of many people in lots of different ways.”
Produced by BBC Radio Manchester for BBC Sounds with material licensed by Big City Nights, all six episodes of In Detail… Sanctuary: An Act of Defiance will be available on 30 September.
