Author: Editor

Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya has instructed Sri Lanka Police officers to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to protect the rights of transgender individuals. He emphasized that the HRCSL receives daily complaints regarding instances where police officers allegedly violate the human rights of transgender people while carrying out their duties. In response, the Acting IGP has directed all officers to ensure that their conduct aligns with the Commission’s guidelines, reinforcing the importance of upholding human rights…

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The Batalanda Commission report which goes into details of what happened during the JVP insurrection of 1987-89 has become the centre of public attention. The controversy has long been a point of contention and a reminder of the country’s troubled past and entrenched divisions that still exist. The events that occurred at Batalanda during the violent suppression of the JVP-led insurgency, remain a raw wound, as seen in the sudden resurfacing of the issue. The scars of violence and war still run deep. At a time when the country is…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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