Colombo, Sri Lanka — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that the fundamental rights of a restaurant owner in Midigama were violated by seven officers of the Excise Department, ordering them to pay compensation from their personal funds. The judgment, delivered on the 11th, directed the seven officers named as respondents to pay a total of Rs. 525,000 to the petitioner within three months Rs. 75,000 each. The petition was filed by Dinesh Priyadarshana Dodangoda, the owner of a restaurant in the Midigama area. He alleged that between…
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Supreme Court Rules Torture by Payagala Police Violated Fundamental Rights
Colombo, Sri Lanka — In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that the fundamental rights of a young man arrested by Payagala Police in 2012 were violated, affirming serious allegations of custodial torture and unlawful detention. The case concerns Levwanduwa Withanage Sameera Sampath, a 24-year-old resident of Katukurundugahalanda, Pothuwila, Payagala, who was arrested on January 27, 2012, while on his way to sell vegetables at the Katukurunda Market. According to the petition filed before the Court (SCFR/127/12), Sameera Sampath was detained for two days and subjected to severe…
Read MoreNegombo High Court Sentences Three PNB Officers to 7 Years for Torture
Negombo, Sri Lanka — The Negombo High Court has sentenced three officers attached to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each for the brutal assault and torture of a suspect during a drug raid. The judgment was delivered by High Court Judge Kavindya Nanayakkara on the 13th. The convicted officers include Sub-Inspector Asanga Ramesh Amarasinghe and Police Constables Aruna Dinesh and Thilina Udayanga. Court proceedings revealed that the incident occurred in November 2018. The victim, Seeni Mohammad Nauker Nadeep, had been arrested along with his…
Read MoreSLCAT Urges President to Dismiss Police Officers Involved in Torture of Minor
The Sri Lanka Collective Against Torture (SLCAT) has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take quick action against police officers found guilty by the Supreme Court of violating fundamental rights. This includes the torture of a child. On World Children’s Day, SLCAT sent a letter calling for the immediate removal of the officers involved in the Supreme Court case SC/FR/87/2023. The Court determined that the former Acting Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Hatharaliyadda Police Station was responsible for the unlawful arrest, torture, and detention of a 16-year-old boy. SLCAT emphasized that…
Read MoreBalapitiya Court Delivers Verdict After 17 Year Long Torture Case Involving 14 Year Old Schoolboy
Seventeen years after the brutal torture of 14-year-old schoolboy Buddhi Ewantha Gunasekara from Eranawila, Mitiyagoda, the Balapitiya High Court yesterday (11) handed down long-awaited sentences to four accused, including senior police officers and a civil guard. The tragic case dates back to March 7, 2008, when Buddhi, then a Grade 9 student, was arrested on allegations of stealing money from a neighbor’s house. He was taken into custody by Sub-Inspector Saman Palitha Athukorala and Civil Guard Lalith de Zoysa, based on a complaint lodged with the Mitiyagoda Police. Soon after,…
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