Sri Lanka: Extrajudicial killings
Sri Lanka: Extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths must be stopped and investigated
Extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths are happening because of:
• Refusal of the police and
judiciary to investigate;
• The absence of
investigations is the result of breakdown of the rule of
law;
• Which is in turn the result of the
constitutional decision which has removed all the checks and
balances once available
The incidents of extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths in Sri Lanka are now almost a daily occurrence. The story presented by the Sri Lankan Police Service to the Magistrate is always similar. Either they were shot while trying to escape or the police were taking the culprit to a weapons cache when he turned on them with a weapon of some description, amazingly, usually a hand grenade.
It is uncertain as to what is more ludicrous, the fact that the police never bother to change their story or the fact that they honestly believe the citizens of Sri Lanka are so gullible they will believe them. Unfortunately, they do not care about the opinions of the citizens, only the Magistrate who has no independent witnesses and can only take the word of the officers reporting the case.
It is now time for the Inspector General of Police, the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense and the President himself to take responsibility for the actions of their police officers. Officers who are supposed to be protecting the people of Sri Lanka are, in fact, using them as scapegoats for their own inability to conduct even the most rudimentary investigations.
In the
last month alone three such incidents have been reported.
They are:
• Mr. Appuhandhi Kotahewage
Nayanajith Prasanna was arrested without charges on
22 September 2010. The 25 September he was found in his cell
with severe cuts to the abdomen. He succumbed to his
injuries in hospital on 26 September. The police claim he
committed suicide while in custody by slashing his stomach
with a shard of glass.
• Mr. Jayakody
Arachchilage Oman Perera was arrested 31 August
2010 by police officers attached to the Special Task Force
(STF) and taken by jeep to Colombo. During the journey one
of the officers shot Jayakody because of an allegedly
attempted escape. He died in hospital the same
day.
• Mr. Pattiyage Komako Lalan
Peiris (34) was arrested by the police officers on
23 May 2010. His arrest was allegedly a case of mistaken
identity. He was found dead the following morning while
handcuffed to a table in a police cell. The police explain
the death as a heart attack but an autopsy carried out later
at the insistence of the family reveals signs of torture.
In addition to the above cases please also
see:
• Mr. Ranmukage Ajith Prasanna
(30) was arrested by police officers on 17 September 2010.
While in police custody he was according to the police taken
to uncover a weapons shelter. The police claim that on the
way Ajith tried to snatch a weapon from an officer whereupon
the officer shot him. Soon after he succumbed to his
injuries in hospital.
• Dhammala Arachchige
Lakshman was arrested by a Special Unit of the
Hanwella Police Station on 20 September 2010. On the 22
September 2010 he was taken to uncover an alleged weapon
shelter. He was shot on the way and died before admission to
the hospital. According to the police officers, they shot
him when he tried to escape by throwing a
bomb.
• Mr. Suresh Kumar (24) was
arrested by police officers on 4 September 2010 and taken to
uncover an alleged weapon shelter. According to the police
he attempted to throw a hand grenade in direction of the
police officers during the journey. Later he was found dead
on the roadside.
• Jayasekara Arachchige
Roshan Jayasekara (35) was arrested by police
officers on 25 August 2010. On 26 August an officer brought
Jayasekara's body to the hospital. The post mortem
examination revealed marks of numerous blunt force trauma
injuries.
• Amarasinghe Arachchige David
was arrested on 13 August 2010 by police officers.
On the way to the station the police stopped to search some
villagers. David left the car to watch whereupon the police
officer beat him up severely. The incident was witnessed by
a large group of people. He later succumbed to his injuries
at the hospital.
• Balage Rusiru Reggie Vijaya
Bandula who lived in a conflict area fired a
warning shot out of the window of his house in respond to
sustained and unidentified banging on his door and around
his house on 3 March 2010. Shortly after police officers
broke down the door and shot Reggie. He died soon after at
the hospital.
• Saman Thialakasiri
reported cases of illegal logging in his neighbourhood with
suspected connections to local police in 2008. Ever since he
was threatened, harassed and even arrested by police
officers. The 21 February 2010 at night two police officers
picked up Saman. His body was found near a lake the next
morning.
In not one of the cases mentioned above has any credible investigation been carried out despite appeals made to the Inspector General of Police and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.
The Inspector General of Police, Secretary of the Ministry of Defense and the President must be told by the international community that they are being held responsible, not only for the deaths but also the lack of any credible investigations and the denial of justice to the victims and their families.
Please sign the petition in order to send a clear message to the government of Sri Lanka. Extrajudicial killings and deaths in custody must stop and the officers responsible held to account.
About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
ENDS