The Asian Human Rights Commission has launched an urgent appeal, calling for an independent investigation into the extrajudicial killing of an individual who was detained in the Ja-El Police Station.
The victim – Sameera Dhananjaya Pathirana (39) -father of a young child had been illegally arrested on March 17 and had later been admitted to the Ja-Ela Government Hospital by the Police due to his ill-health. However upon admission the doctors had pronounced him dead.
The Police have said that he used his trousers to make a noose in order to hang himself in the cell.
“This case is symbolic of the crisis that faces the Police Force of Sri Lanka. The lack of accountability and professionalism has allowed extrajudicial punishment and torture to become standard,” the AHRC notes while pointing out that the protection of all arrestees and detainees is vested with the Officer in Charge of the Police station under the Departmental Orders of the Police Department, who are to be supervised by the ASPs.
However the AHRC has reiterated that it is the ASPs who are ignoring their responsibilities and DOs and as a result the innocent detainees have been paying for it with their lives.
“By ignoring their duty the ASPs and OICs have encouraged the systematic torture that prevails in Sri Lankan Police stations and extrajudicial killings committed by law enforcement officers. Continual and flagrant violations of the laws have encouraged the existing practice of impunity in Sri Lanka,” the AHRC states while adding that in order to stop these heinous crimes, once a credible independent investigation uncovers how and why such events take place, effective reforms must be brought into force.
justice / March 25, 2015
UN Rapporteurs have visited Sri Lanka and have given adverse reports on the Human Rights situation.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/LKIndex.aspx
Over past many decades, many citizens have died in state custody, in police stations and prisons. Torture in custody is common.
The Sirisena government needs to take urgent action on the enforcement of human rights by state personnel, including police and armed forces.
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Jagath Fernando / March 25, 2015
This cannot happen under Yahapanaya!!!
Wake up Mr IGP
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Ben Hurling / March 25, 2015
Sri Lanka Police is infested with sadistic criminals in uniform. That situation did not change on 8th January.
Besides UNP holds the record for extra-judicial killings & torture in SL, when in power.
You cannot leave solving Police criminality in SL to either SLFP or UNP. In fact, most leaders in these two corrupt political parties are complicit in heinous Police crimes in SL.
We need an uprising of the people to sort this out. We need to grab couple of these Police killers in uniform and kick them in the only where it really hurts. In full public view.
Cheers!
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Wits End / March 26, 2015
Hehe,
Ben,
Your remedy besides being amusing is really not recommended. Violence begets violence.
Uprisings are not recommended for Asian Buddhist nations either. See how brutally we put down the 2 JVP uprisings and the LTTE uprising. See what Polpot did to his own people – another Buddhist Asian nation. See what BBS did in Sri Lanka and what Wiratu did/doing in Burma. Most of our police officers will vehemently claim that they are devout Buddhists. Despite their claim to be pacifists Buddhist adherents are no better than their Islamic counterparts. Sad really.
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Ben Hurling / March 26, 2015
Wits End,
How do you propose to end Police brutality?
How much longer are you willing to put up with it?
Cheers!
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Sylvia Haik / March 30, 2015
I love watching Sinhalese films and in every one of them where the police is involved, the officers are portrayed as a brutal force, not only to the people they arrest but also to the junior officers. I know these films reflect society, but it sends out the wrong signals and only tends to promote the abhorrent behaviour. This probably is happening in the West but you’d never see it advertised in films.
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Native Vedda / March 28, 2015
Wits End
” Despite their claim to be pacifists Buddhist adherents are no better than their Islamic counterparts.”
It is high time Buddhism/Buddha’s teaching are liberated from Sinhala/Buddhism.
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Adrian / March 27, 2015
IGP means “Inne Govt. Passe”
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shankar / March 28, 2015
in future prisoners should be kept naked in their cells.
Also they should never be allowed to have grenades to throw at the cops.
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Stewart / March 29, 2015
AHRC must be trying to impress its funders
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Javi. / March 30, 2015
they get a decent wage and don’t need to send their mums to the medieval middle east or sell their cabbage patches in the gays magazines of europe- tourism and heroin is police business to get rich quick- sihal buddhist way. samsara.
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