Tag: human rights commission

Bringing Justice and Relief to Torture Victims

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Today is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture That Sri Lanka is a country where torture is rife has been well documented by several international organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and Freedom From Torture. According to Freedom from Torture, despite being a top holiday destination, Sri Lanka has consistently been the country from where it receives the most clients. Although the civil war ended in 2009, that has not ended human rights violations. Most at risk of torture…

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SRI LANKA: Two big lies told about the 1978 Constitution

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By Basil Fernando Two great lies have been propagated about the 1978 Constitution. When a lie is repeated many times by many persons, often such a lie begins to be treated as a conventional truth. The first of these lies is that the 1978 Constitution was created on the model of the French Constitution and the American Constitutional tradition. This was first propagated by Professor A.J. Wilson who called it a Gaullist Constitution. At the time, he was the advisor to President J.R. Jayewardene, a role which he publicly lamented…

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SRI LANKA: Suspend PTA immediately – UN Experts tells GOSL

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By Basil Fernando The Sri Lankan delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) suffered a great setback when its promise to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA) was responded to by the 16 UN special experts calling on the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to suspend the PTA altogether and immediately. The experts said, after the suspension, the Government could suitably enact anti terrorism law which is in keeping with international law. Thus, the usual trick employed by Sri…

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Podi Lassi’s mother appeals to United Nation about life threat

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A mother has sought the help of the United Nations to save the life of her son, who has been in police custody for more than a year. She has taken this step due to her practical experience that those who have complained to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Police regarding the risk to their lives will not benefit from those institutions. In a letter to the UN Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Colombo on Tuesday (November 30) through the Committee to…

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Another victim hit by police bullet!

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A suspect who was in police custody has been shot dead by the police today (26). The deceased has been identified as Lasantha of Hewalunuwila. He is the main suspect in the murder Amila Prasanna Hettihewa alias of Sunshine Sudda who was killed on September 4th at Warakapitiya in Weligama, Matara. The suspect was arrested by the Kalutara Divisional Crime Investigation Unit in the Diyagama area. He later went to show his hidden weapons and was shot dead by police as he tried to flee, police said. According to the police, he…

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A drunken police officer assaults a person

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යක්කලමුල්ල පොලීසිය බීමතින් පුද්ගලයෙකුට පහර දී යකා නටයි!

A man who had gone to a funeral home in Udugama has been assaulted by three drunken  police officers at Yakkalamulla police. The victim is Nagoda Gamage Sudath Sanjeewa, a married father of one, residing at Miniranwalakanda, Udugama Central. He works as a scavenger driver. A funeral was held at the house of his friend Chamara Idunil and He had also attended the Mathaka bana chanting held at that house last (22) and had stayed at that house. Sudath had gone to the Mathaka bana chanting that day on his…

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Human rights inquiry into a youth who died at the Mannar police station!

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The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has launched an investigation into the death of a Muslim youth who was beaten to death while in custody. T. Kanagaraj, the coordinator of the Northern Provincial Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka in Jaffna, said that as a first step in the investigation, statements were recorded from the OIC of the police station where the youth was arrested. Two persons, including the deceased youth, were arrested by the Mannar Police on October 1, 2021 on the Erukalampittu-Pudukudiirippu main…

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A man in Seeduwa shot to death by STF

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A man who was traveling in a car was shot to death by the Police Special Task Force last night (17). The deceased has been identified as Lalith Wasantha Pintu (44), a resident of Katana, Seeduwa. According to Police Media Spokesman, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana, a group of STF officers had chased a suspicious whistle car on a tip which received to them. A person inside a car was injured when STF officers used their force to stop the car in the Baseline area in Seeduwa. He was later admitted…

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