A Man Who went in Search for food for his family beaten and killed – Basil Fernando

Basil-Fernando

An incident reported from Waligama, Matara demonstrates the kind of very saddening situations which has been experienced by people in terms of the spread of Covid-19. A young girl in a family was detected of having been infected with the virus and was taken to hospital for treatment. The rest of the family was asked to quarantine themselves by staying in their own house. They stayed for three to four days using all that they had in terms of food and other necessities and finally that came to an end…

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Chamila Jayasinghe released on bail.

Chamila Jayasinghe released on bail

The Magistrate’s Court today ordered the release on bail of Chamil Jayasinghe, an Assistant Director of the Kotmale Land Title Settlement Department, an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, who was arrested yesterday. Police have filed charges against him under Section 120 of the Penal Code for allegedly trying to provoke the public by posting a fake post on his Facebook account about a massacre in Sinharaja. Attorneys-at-Law Manju Shree Chandrasena, Nalin Weerakoon, Thisara Chamara, Manjula Pathiraja, Lalith Pathirana and Karunaratne appeared for Chamil Jayasinghe in court. Chamil Jayasinghe…

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Yakkalamulla police assault a man on the road…!

යක්කලමුල්ල පොලීසිය පොට පටලවාගෙන මහ මඟ සිටි අයෙකුට පහර දෙයි!…

A complaint has lodged to The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), against Yakkalamulla Police in Galle district with regarding case of arresting and assaulting a civilian. The victim is Koggala Wellalage Sisira Kumara, a resident of Hospital Road, Aluthwatta, Nakiyadeniya, in Galle.On 9th May, he has gone to Dimuthu pharmacy at Yakkalamulla Junction to buy some medicine at around 09.00 – 09.30 p.m . While he was there, he has heard the sound of exploding firecrackers near the Yakkalamulla junction, 30…

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BASL hits out: Condemns the failure of the Police including the IGP to protect persons in custody

BASL hits out: Condemns the failure of the Police including the IGP to protect persons in custody

The Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has strongly condemned the recent killing of two suspects in police custody, namely Melon Mabula alias ‘Uru Juwa’ and Tharaka Perera Wijesekera alias ‘Kosgoda Tharaka’ which has occurred on two consecutive days. In a statement today (13), the BASL pointed out that the Attorney-at-Law representing Tharaka Wijesekera had made representations to the Police as well as the IGP, the Director of the CID and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) with regard to their safety prior to…

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Ahnaf Jazeem: The Silenced Poet – Ruki Fernando

Ahnaf Jazeem: The Silenced Poet – Ruki Fernando

“We will grit our teeth and with submission to god, wait, even if the adversary aims at us the stone in the catapult sling, and aims the arrow at us, with his bow. Even if we have to walk through fire, Languish without food, Be struck with disease, We will follow the path of Ahimsa (non violence)” – Thaneer (Water), Poem by Ahnaf Jazeem, from the collection Navarasam (Nine Emotions), translated by Prof. Sumathy Sivamohan and Dr. Mahendran Thiruvarangan The author of the above poem is a 26-year-old Muslim poet…

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Released Remand Prisoner Abducted and Assassinated in Sri Lanka

Uru Juva

Mabulage Dinith Melan aka Uru Juva was freed from Angunakolopelessa remand prison on 10th May after being held for about five years for criminal cases. Sri Lanka police arrested and killed him on May 11th. Police said to Lankadeepa newspaper that they had gone to the prison to arrest the suspect but he escaped. However, Nawagamuwa Police arrested him more than 100 kilometres away at Biyagama in Gampaha district when he was dining in an eatery. Later, he was killed in a house at Wanduramula. Police says he directed police…

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Covid -19 and the constitution

Covid 19 and the constitution

Basil Fernando Arundhati Roy, prominent writer and social activist in India has written several important articles in the recent few days on the problem of the spread of Covid and the vast numbers of deaths that are taking place in India. In an article written just a few days back, Arundhati Roy directly addresses the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi and points to the fact that the Covid crisis in India is a problem of governance in India. System of governance have failed and it is now threatening the…

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“Don’t try to act macho”- Magistrate warns activist; Impartiality of the Magistrate questioned

Colombo Additional Magistrate Mrs. Rajindra Jayasuriya has reprimanded the youth who encouraged fellow citizens to honk vehicle horns in protest of stopping vehicles in order to let elite personnel pass. When the youth was produced in court, Mrs. Jayasuriya had told him to not to act macho. “Don’t try to act macho. Behaving like lunatics for everything,” she has said. Drivers, who were encouraged by the youth, objected by sounding vehicle horns protesting the stopping traffic on the main road by the police for a VIP convoy to pass following.…

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It Is Time ‌for The Judiciary to Defend Itself

It Is Time ‌for The Judiciary to Defend Itself

By Basil Fernando The recommendations by a Commission appointed by the President, recommending that a large number of criminal cases that have been filed in the Courts of Sri Lanka be withdrawn, is the deadliest blow that has been dealt to the administration of justice in Sri Lanka. If this recommendation is put into effect, the consequence would be that of replacing the Judiciary of Sri Lanka with anyone that the President may choose to appoint in order to annul any of the proceedings that are instituted in a court…

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Did the suspect who died in mt.Lavinia due to Police torture?

police torture in mount lavinia police station

Relatives of a man who died after being arrested by Mount Lavinia Police and produced before a court have lodged a complaint with the IGP and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. The deceased has been identified as Vasana Susantha Dissanayake, 49, a resident of Pasal Mawatha, Kalubowila. He is said to have run a motorcycle repair business by profession. His son also runs a motorcycle spare parts shop in Attidiya. Vasana Susantha, who died on March 18, was arrested by the police in Ratmalana while carrying food to…

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