Hambantota police assault a father of two

Weerasekera Kamkanamge Tharuka Lakshan is a married and father of two, residing at No. 03, Nandamithra Village, Ballagaswewa Grama Niladhari Division, Hambantota. He runs a garage to make a living. Tamara Kaushalya, a resident of the same village, had lodged a complaint with the Hambantota Port Police alleging that she had been threatened and blamed by three persons including Tharuka Lakshan. According to the victims, it was a false complaint and the complainant who has violence personality and she is usually arguing with the majority of the residents of the…

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Murder at Pugoda Police Station- OIC has not yet been arrested

n October 11, a young man Gayan Pushpkumar, 21, was arrested by the officers of the Pugoda Police Station on mistaken identity. Initially, he was suspected of having robbed some money. However, later, the money had been found in the very house the money was supposed to be stolen from. In between the suspicion and the actual discovery that the arrested suspect had nothing to do with the alleged crime, the suspect was hit and kicked on his belly by the Officer In Charge of the Pugoda Police Station, the…

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Male Prisoner needing urgent medical treatment for heart ailment severely tortured by Police

Sri Rangaraja Sudan was arrested by Norwood Police on suspicion of illegal possession of cocaine and charged under the Poison, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance on 16 July 2016. He is currently in Bogambara remand prison suffering from severe heart disease as a result of a hole in the heart. According to the medical reports, his condition is becoming more severe day-by-day. Because of his heart condition he requires immediate surgery to avoid heart failure. To add to the situation since 2017, according to medical reports, the doctor recommended several…

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Sri Lankan police arrested in death of two businessmen and other stories

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where investigations are ongoing into the abduction and murder of two businessmen from Rathgama. Until now, two police officers have already been arrested. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department has revealed that the two businessmen, Manjula Asela and Rashin Chinthaka were abducted and murdered, and their bodies were then burnt. Just Asia speaks to Basil Fernando, Director of Policy and Program Development, AHRC, for details. Next, in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima marked her second year in detention last Sunday. She was…

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Police torture cases Sri Lanka 1998- 2011, Edited by Basil Fernando

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has compiled a report of 1500 cases of police torture in Sri Lanka between 1998 and 2011. This particular report summarizes 323 of the most serious cases of torture. The most notable finding of this report is that almost all of the victims whose cases were summarized were randomly selected by the police to be arrested and detained for a fabricated charge. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the criminal justice system in Sri Lanka is the overwhelmingly large number of charges which are…

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Jayantha Aberathna vs Chief Inspector B.W.C. Dharmaratna and others SC(FR) No. 222/2014

The Petitioner in this case complains that he was arrested on 21.06.2013 by the 1st Respondent who is the Officer-in-Charge of the Police Station, Teldeniya. He was later produced before the Magistrate, Teldeniya as a suspect for stealing eleven pieces of sandalwood from the Magistrate’s Court of Teldeniya. He was a Civil Security Guard attached to Teldeniya Police Station. The Petitioner further complains that after the arrest he was assaulted by the 1st Respondent. Petitioner tries to support the assault launched by the 1st Respondent by his wife’s affidavit marked…

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SWARNA MANJULA and NAWARATHNA HENALAGE ROSALIYA vs PUSHPAKUMARA and others S.C. F.R. No. 241/14

In their application to this Court, the petitioners allege that the 1st and 2nd respondents violated several of the petitioners‟ fundamental rights. The case urged by the petitioners and the positions taken in the 1st and 2nd respondents‟ affidavits and documents annexed thereto, all require careful scrutiny. Therefore, I will set out, in some detail, the petitioners‟ narrative of the alleged events upon which they base their application to this Court and the positions taken by the 1st and 2nd respondents in their affidavits and the contents of the documents…

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Rajapaksha Pathirage Justin Rajapaksha vs. Prasanna Rathnayake and other police officers SC/FR 689/2012

”The petitioner by this petition, inter alia, seeks a declaration to the effect that his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 11,12,13(1) and 13(2) of the Constitution have been violated by the 1st to 5th and/or 6th and/or 8th Respondents. This court, by its order dated 12.2.2013, granted leave to proceed for alleged violations of Article 11 of the Constitution against 1st to 6th Respondents; for alleged violations of Article 13(1) and 13(2) of the Constitution against the 1st Respondent and for alleged violations of Article 12(1) of the Constitution against…

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Suppiah Sivakumar vs ergeant Jayaratne and others SC. FR. No. 56/2012

On 15th May 2011 around midnight, the Petitioner had been in the vicinity of the Bambaragala Junction with his wife and his daughter to watch Theru celebrations. Around 1. 30 am, a riot had broken out in the area and as the Petitioner made haste to take his wife and daughter to safety, he alleges that he was assaulted by the 1st to 3rd Respondents with a club. The Petitioner had also alleged that he was subjected to continuous verbal and physical abuse for about 20 minutes by the said…

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Arshan Rajinikanth vs Officer in Charge Bulathsinhala Police Station and others SC/FR Application No:-194/2012

The Petitioner who was 22 years at the time of the incident worked as a three wheeler driver. The Petitioner states that on 13th October 2011 at about 9.30 a.m three individuals by the names of Roshan, Selvanayagam and Raja arrived on a motor bicycle at the Petitioner’s residence and informed the Petitioner that he was wanted by the police. The Petitioner recognized these individuals as they lived in the same area. The two individuals named Roshan and Selvanayagam got the Petitioner on to the motor bicycle and took the…

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