Author: Editor

A disabled prisoner has been hospitalized following an alleged assault by a prison guard at the Weerawila Open Prison Camp. The prisoner, W.A. Nishan Sanjeewa Hetti Arachchi, a resident of Badalgama, Katukenda, was arrested by the Mattakkuliya Police on October 22, 2024, for possession of 200 milligrams of heroin. On October 23, 2024, the Mattakkuliya Court imposed a fine of Rs. 7,000 on him. Unable to pay the fine, he was sentenced to six months in prison and sent to Welikada Prison, from where he was transferred to the Weerawila…

Read More

Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige ordered a five-year suspension of an attorney’s legal license following an investigation prompted by a complaint filed by the judge himself. According to the complaint, the attorney, who had been appointed by the government to represent a defendant in a criminal case before the Colombo High Court, failed to appear in court for three consecutive days. During the hearing, the attorney admitted to the charges. Subsequently, Supreme Court Judge S. Thurairaja, along with Justices Mahinda Samayawardhana and Arjuna Obeysekara, announced the decision, stating that…

Read More

A media organization has requested the implementation of court rulings issued against the police for torturing suspects. In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, the Young Journalists’ Association pointed out that, despite numerous rulings by the Supreme Court and the Human Rights Commission over the years against illegal arrests, detentions, and torture by the police, these rulings have yet to be implemented, allowing police brutality to persist. Over the past few years, the Human Rights Commission has delivered 51 rulings against police…

Read More

On June 26, 2024, the Right to Life Human Rights Centre, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Collective Against Torture (SLCAT), hosted an Expert Forum at Hotel Janaki to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The forum, titled “Ongoing Torture Despite Extensive Anti-Torture Legislation,” brought together prominent figures such as Shani Abeysekera, former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Dr. Chulani Herath, a senior lecturer, and attorney Lakshan Dias, along with representatives from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. The event aimed to highlight the…

Read More