Category: Article

Custodial Death at Kandeketiya Police Station

  Colombo, November 3 – The death of a 46-year-old man while in the custody of the Kandeketiya Police has triggered renewed concerns over the safety of detainees and the persistent lack of accountability within Sri Lanka’s law enforcement system. The deceased has been identified as Navaratne Mudiyanselage Ajantha Pushpakumara, a resident of Meegahakiula. According to official reports, Mr. Pushpakumara was arrested on court-issued warrants. He reportedly fell ill while detained at the Kandeketiya Police Station and was subsequently admitted to the Kandeketiya Divisional Hospital. His condition necessitated a transfer to…

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Supreme Court Orders Three Police Officers to Personally Pay Rs. 75,000 for Violating Journalist’s Rights

Colombo, October 22, 2025 — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that three officers of the Alawwa Police violated the constitutional rights of journalist Thilina Rajapaksa, ordering them to personally pay a total of Rs. 75,000 in compensation. Rajapaksa, an announcer and producer at a private radio channel, was stopped by police on March 1, 2021, while riding his motorcycle from Polgahawela to Colombo. Police Sergeants Ravindra Kumara and B.M.S.S. Wijaya Bandara were accused of crossing the white line on the road. When Rajapaksa challenged their actions, the…

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There was a time when even the act of searching for information about the missing led to further disappearances – Philip Dissanayake

  Chandradasa Ranasinghe, a young law student and activist from Weerapane, Opatha, Matara, remains one of the many who disappeared during the turbulent period of 1989 in Sri Lanka. At the time of his disappearance, he was just 23 years old and in his first year of studies at the Open University. Ranasinghe was not only a student but also a committed political activist. In 1988, he contested the first Provincial Council election from the Matara District for the Southern Provincial Council under the banner of the United Socialist Party…

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