The National Authority for the Protection of Victims and Witnesses of Crime was established under the Assistance to and Protection of Victims and Witnesses of Crime Act No. 04 of 2015. No. 428 / 11A, Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Battaramulla on 18th May 2016. Its main objectives are to protect, promote and enforce the rights of crime and witnesses while meeting the needs of crime and victims. An emergency hotline number for this authority was introduced in 2019. That was the 1985 short phone number. The latest statistics from the National…
Read MoreTag: police torture in sri lanka
How to build a non-violent police force?
Police violence has become a current topic in Sri Lanka. There will be 26 illegal killings in Sri Lanka in 2020 alone, said Philip Dissanayake, spokesman for the Sri Lankan Alliance Against Torture. Police are responsible for about half of those killings. The Department of Prisons is the main agency responsible for the rest. In addition, there were a number of incidents of police torturing suspects in 2020. There were also reports of disruptions, assaults, arrests and harassment of peaceful protesters. In June, activists, including women from the Frontline Socialist…
Read MoreNot everyone who wear uniform can solve crimes- Philip Disanayake
In 2020 alone, 26 illegal killings were reported, said Philip Dissanayake, a member of the Convening Board of the Sri Lankan Alliance Against Torture. He points out that there have been 16 incidents and 26 inmates have been killed along with 11 other prisoners who died in the Mahara incident. He says there are three criteria as a key factor in establishing human rights in a country: the first is that murders cannot take place outside the country, the second is that disappearances are not allowed, and the third is…
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