The Lawyers Collective has today condemned the killing of a suspect in police custody at Cinnamon Gardens while being taken handcuffed and the brutal attack on a girl at the Ratnapura Bus stand by a police officer in the view of the public.
IGP
Issuing a statement the Lawyers Collective said; “These two incidents are a continuation of the trend in recent times of unarmed persons being subject to attacks by the police in violation of all norms and in violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens.”
They said; “What is of grave concern is the impunity with which these blatant violations of the law is taking place without any intervention or at least a condemnation from the government or the authorities concerned in the enforcement of law and order and the protection of human rights.
“These incidents are not isolated incidents, but has come to pass as daily events in our country. We are faced with the serious question as to whether the Sri Lankan State is capable or not interested in the protection of the rights of the citizens of this country including the right to life. The BASL has intervened in numerous occasions in defence of the victims of these attacks by the police and/or other forces.
“We are fast moving towards the establishment of the police state and we call upon civil society organizations to join the BASL and other organizations that are committed to fight against this trend and committed to prevent the establishment of a police state.”
dhammika herath / October 1, 2014
State is not interested in protection of its people, people are not state. and state does not need people. this is an illusion, that state is out there to protect people. True aims of state are enslavement, and exploitation of people, for the very purpose of keeping elites ( slave owners, aka Elite aka Corporate masters) happy. Police is there to protect the state, not people, so they are doing their work. I do not see any problem with that, sri lanka is a brutal country since time immemorial, there is nothing to complain about. WE are good at killinig people since we landed in sri lanka few millennia ago, we started by kiling the natives. Its in our genes, why complain, why bother? Keep up the good work ” land of barbarians” i remember this movie few years ago, very appropriate title.
the apathy and ignorance of common people are an indication that they too deserve this when police attack them, therefore, shut up and carry on.
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Don Stanley / October 1, 2014
The bloated police and military which dance to the tunes of the Rajapaksa brothers are a huge waste and drain on the honest tax payers of Sri Lanka.
Yesterday outside KINGSBURY/BLING-SBURY and the MEA there were seven jeep loads of police and military hanging out doing nothing – on display to protect Mahinda Jarapassa and his MEA cronies and the thug Sajin Vas G and some visiting foreigner!
The corrupt and criminal Sri Lanka police and military think that their only job is to do the bidding of the Jarapassa brothers and related political cronies. The rest of the citizens of the country can go to hell!
Yesterday at Independence Square more trees were being cut down by plain cloths military men of Gota’s militia. We note that almost all the large and valuable treas in the area of Independence square and the National Achieves have been cut and replaced with small ones that do not provide SHADE. This is also because the paranoid psychopath Gota the goon fears ghosts and dead souls and grease yakkas live in trees. Colombo’s old and valuable tree canopy has been destroyed by the paraniod military dictators and war criminal Gota the Goon..
When we reported the cutting of treas to the environmental policeman at the Independence Arcade he said it was not his business!
All institutions in Sri Lanka today work on the basis that the employees need to serve the corrupt boss only, and the rest of the people including colleagues can go to hell. There are NO principles, ethics or value based rules to follow.
This culture of being servile to the political boss and screwing everyone else is widespread in all institutions in the country, particularly in politics and the political parties, the Universities and in the NGO sector as well… The rot has tricked down from the top!
Miracle of Sinhala Modayas indeed!
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Thiru / October 1, 2014
Look at the history of Sri Lanka since independence:
Police took part in driving away Tamils from their lands in Gal Oya, Padaviya and elsewhere to settle with Sinhalese from the South.
They beat up Tamil politicians satyakraka in Galle Face green,
They killed tens of thousands of Sinhalese youth in 1971, and later in the eighties.
They aided, abetted and took part in several pogroms against Tamils, and recently against Muslims.
Police and the armed forces massacred hundreds of thousands of Tamils during the 30 year war, especially near the end.
Police don’t take action when Hindu temples, Muslim mosques and businesses, or Churches are attached or destroyed.
There are many more grossly increasing cruelty and lawlessness of the police and the security forces for 66 years.
While all these happened neither the Judges, lawyers union, educated elite, parliamentarians or ordinary people didn’t protest. Only Tamils protest because they are the most affected, and they have nothing more to lose except their lives.
Now the state cruelty has reached Banda, Menike and Apuhamy: I see people beginning to protest at this late stage, but it is never too late, but it will be a Herculean effort to dislodge the ruling Satan and his coterie before the island returns to sanity, law, order, civilized behavior and peace.
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Ben Hurling / October 1, 2014
Police brutality is nothing new. Has been going on since Independence. Only getting worse in creative brutality.
We have this evidence, thanks to mobile technology.
Nobody video tapes brutality that goes on inside your local, disgusting Police cells at night. Or on the 4th Floor in the heart of our Capital.
Police refelct our culture of violence. And our tolerance of it.
Why act so shocked when we suddenly find ourselves at the receiving end of brutality? Live with it. Reap what you sow.
Cheers!
PS: Sri Lanka Police is country’s largest crime syndicate. BTW, replacing SLFP with UNP will change none of this.
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J.Muthu / October 1, 2014
Oh dear ben
Sinhala Buddhist love blood and violence, check it out u r damn history…start 1915….still….
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Tar / October 2, 2014
Muthu why not start 1815?
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justice / October 1, 2014
Police assist the UPFA in elections by allowing infractions of election laws and by suppressing the peaceful campaigns of opposition parties and thus have become indispensable to the Rajapakse regime.
During recent UVA election, an opposition candidate has been attacked by two deputy ministers inside a police station.
Deaths in police ( & prison ) custody have happened over the years and instances of prosecution of policemen for these are rare.
Police are thus the “gestapo” of the regime.
Torture in police stations have been documented by UN rapporteurs.
Thus, impunity is enjoyed by the sri lanka police.
Lawyers must demand that the presence of an attorney to advice an arrested person before and during interrogation must be entrenched in law, and a special body of persons be appointed to investigate police ‘excesses’ like in many other countries be appointed.
The “police state” does exist under the guise of ‘law enforcement’.
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Paul / October 1, 2014
Thousands of people are demonstrating for freedom in Hongkong but our people are cowed down with fear. How much more will they put up with before they revolt?
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Native Vedda / October 1, 2014
Paul
“How much more will they put up with before they revolt?”
I understand why you are hopping mad at the rulers. However if I were you I won’t bet on the people’s ability to revolt for they have their own urgent needs to satisfy.
If a party promises to give them 8 measures of free grain a landslide victory is guaranteed or promises to uphold Sinhala/Buddhism to the detriment of minorities the prospects are even better.
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Paul / October 1, 2014
I don’t blame the masses. They are poor and hungry and unemployed. They live by ‘each man for himself’. If the Government offers them rice are they to say “No thanks, we will stick by our principles and go hungry?”
But eventually someone will lead them in revolt. It has happened before in 1971, 1983, 1985/6
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Native Vedda / October 1, 2014
Paul
What happened in 1983 was not revolt but well organised riots against Tamils.
Please clarify 1985/86 revolt.
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Paul / October 1, 2014
Yes sorry, I meant the second JVP insurrection. And you are right, it was a state organised pogrom, the revolt started earlier.
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Cedric / October 1, 2014
And to bring rice from the moon …………
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Nirbeet / October 1, 2014
Why dont you start, Paul?
How much more will YOU put up with before YOU revolt?
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Paul / October 1, 2014
I already have started.
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Native Vedda / October 1, 2014
Paul
“I already have started.”
On keyboard I suppose.
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Paul / October 1, 2014
Naturally, like Nirbeet and your good self. All three of us have to live too don’t we?
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Native Vedda / October 1, 2014
Ben Hurling
Where are you?
Are you ready to buy Gota’s version of the incident in which an innocent girl/women was humanly beaten up b a policeman (for her own good) a few days ago?
Let see if there is any connection between this girl and
LTTE rump
Tamil Diaspora,
UN Investigation
International conspiracy
Conspiracy hatched by INGO
Part of Samapanthan’s grand plan
Measures to counter Wahhabism
Five hundred years of bottled up colonial anger
……
……
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Paul / October 1, 2014
Actually Vedda, the woman was not beaten up by the policeman. She ruined the policeman’s baton by throwing herself against it. Attacks on the police like this should stop immediately.
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Native Vedda / October 1, 2014
Paul
We both together with fellow forum sharers lal loo, wathie, sach, mechanic, Banda, Thondamanar, Dim wit, K A Sumana, …… Ramu, …
condemn the woman for being so nasty to the policeman.
We support the policeman
Are we right behind him?
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Park / October 1, 2014
I have heard people who know the IGP tell me he is a very decent person. If this has happened in any developed country (including the incidents that happened during the recent PC elections), the IGP would have resigned. If IGP is truly a decent person he should resign his post and submit the resignation to the President stating the reasons for his resignation without any fear.
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Manel / October 1, 2014
The SL police and army, seems to have got worse under the Rajapaksa’s. The terrible killings of innocent civilians in Weliweriya, is yet another example of how brutal the armed forces have become. Where were they trained, and why is the Goat letting his goons loose and attacking helpless civilians?
We have become a police state, and the armed forces are being used to keep a family in power.
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thondamannar / October 1, 2014
“Lawyers Collective Condemns Police Brutality”
Lawyers coupling the Ratnapura incident with the Cinnamon Gardens incident in order hide the fact AND crying foul as they had lost a good opportunity to make Mega Bucks as the Police had eliminated a KUDU dealer.
Be it a Politician or a dealer or a seller of KUDU, if caught need to be eliminated from the society.
Today, how many families and lives are in distress due to Kudu ? Does the lawyers know?
PAUL: You talk nonsense. Those demonstrating in Hong Kong are mislead Youth & children just as the LTTE did.
Hong Kong is a rich country and whether need Universal franchise are not all those demonstrate were once peaceful students who were focused on getting qualified. As in Sri Lanka some external evil hand at work in HK together with ex- Cardinal Zen & his mafia.( same as Emmanuel, Rayappu mafia who said Jesus & Velu baba were same)
First these protestors need to agitate before the British Consulate and demand they or their parents should have been taught proper english.
THEY FORGET TO REALISE, THAT OVER 100+ YEARS OF BRITISH RULE, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HK WAS ALWAYS APPOINTED BY THE BRITISH.
UK champions of democracy, never introduced Universal franchise to HK but handed over the same system for the Chinese to follow.
THIS IS THE BASIC. PAUL YOU R AN ID.OT, not to know this fact.
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Paul / October 1, 2014
Thank you for correcting me Thonda.
I didn’t realize that HongKong was a rich country. I thought it was a part of China but allowed under the 1984 UK agreement with Beijing to have a democratic form of government.
I also did not know that an evil hand like Jesus & VP were behind the students. Thank you for explaining this and I will try not to be an idiot hereafter. Does this hand speak Cantonese by the way? Don’t get exited, only asking.
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Bystander / October 1, 2014
this is interesting
According to reports, the underworld figure shot by police had grabbed the neck of the driver with his handcuffed hands compelling the police to shoot him.
My question is why wasn’t the suspect handcuffed with his arms behind his back ? that way there was no chance in hell he could have grabbed the cop’s neck isn’t it /
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Ansar / October 1, 2014
The Lawyers Collective,BAR Association and all civic minded Organizations should team up and hit the street.
No point sending out statements after statements. Nothing will happen. These Organizations are doing this since the THUGGISH,ILLEGAL OUSTER OF FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE.What have they achieved by sending out statements condemning brutality by the MURDEROUS MARA REGIME except emboldening them even more to indulge in worst brutality, day after day.
Especially the Lawyers Collective and BAR Association need to do more than just issuing statements. They owe it to the Nation to protect the innocents as they are the custodians to uphold the Rule of Law. I know the BAR Association President is very critical of this MURDEROUS MARA REGIME. All need to rally round him regardless of faith or party affiliations to extricate our country from this MURDEROUS MARA FAMILY.
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Tamil from the north / October 2, 2014
Wow, the bugger has his index finger sticking out as if he is a man of action. Bloody joker.
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K.A Sumanasekera / October 2, 2014
Was Kalu Chuti a client of Lawyers Collective or the BASL ?…..
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Peace Lover / October 2, 2014
i’m not sure of that but what i heard is that Sothi upali was one of your dissapointed customers K A sumanasekera!
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Tamil from the north / October 7, 2014
[Edited out]
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Tamil from the north / October 7, 2014
KAS, [Edited out]
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