Responding to a directive of the RTI Commission today (Tuesday July 9th), the Ministry of Justice and Prisons Reforms together with the Prisons Department released the case numbers and dates of the convictions of death row prisoners convicted for drug trafficking offences in a list sent to the Office of the President earlier this year.
Both state bodies confirmed that they had no knowledge of the four prisoners singled out by President Maithripala Sirisena for execution as announced recently. Two further appeals asking for information on the same matter against the Presidential Secretariat was fixed for hearing at a later date.
In an Order issued by Commissioners Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, Selvy Thiruchandran and SG Punchihewa last week, the RTI Commission had called upon the Ministry and the Department to release the data. However, the Commission stated that the names of the prisoners could be released only if the prisoners expressly consented to the same in writing to be produced before the Commission in order to safeguard privacy interests. In the further appeal hearing held today at the Commission offices at the BMICH, the Prisons Department released a list of eighteen prisoners on death row with the names of seven prisoners blacked out as they had not agreed to the public release of their names.
The Prisons Department also released relevant rules and regulations issued under the Prisons Ordinance regarding treatment of death row prisoners and further, information as to the recruitment of executioners to perform the task on an RTI appeal filed by journalist Malinda Seneviratne.
The RTI Act states that Information Officers must consider RTI applications involving a risk to life and liberty in forty eight hours. Though the Act is silent on similar urgency in regarding the consideration of appeals, it is learnt through lawyers appearing before the Commission today that the same principle was applied in hearing the appeals on a priority basis, filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, journalist Malinda Seneviratne and Transparency International, Sri Lanka.
Pro Republica / July 9, 2019
Great work from RTI! The one good thing that came out of a painful four years.
Mouthy Sirisena trying to get attention by sending chills down peoples’ spines is a dsgrace. Clean up the police stables first. Then hang anybody!
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JD / July 9, 2019
What Sri lanka needs is a Hitler, Duterte, like people. There are more who are silent but doing what they ahve to do.
These people say lives of the 18 are more important than those related to the 100,000 drug addicts. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was the best to do it.
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rbh / July 10, 2019
JD
What Sri lanka needs is a Hitler.
The whole world don’t like him. so many innocent also died.
His name hit ler he demonstrated according to his name. as a leader he has not fought for people to feel happiness but feel the destruction..
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D. P. / July 10, 2019
JD,
Why don’t you ask yourself the question: How did a local petty thief (Madush) could grow into national scale drug dealer without drawing the curiosity of the local police & the neighbors? If this the situation in the country with respect to any organized crime including terrorism, do you believe that killing the captured crime leaders would solve the problem? The answer is “emphatic no” b’cos killing one will result in someone else replacing the dead. Under such circumstances, encouraging death penalty will not do much good but make ourselves less moral. The better & more productive way to address this issue of organized crimes is to find out why the police & intelligence services fail to catch them at their infancy. I strongly believe that, if the Gvt can find a way install an efficient national intelligence unit, the menace of organized crimes including terrorism can be controlled.
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Simhi / July 10, 2019
Look at Pakistan
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JD / July 11, 2019
Killing the 18 is a Deterrent to their boss living overseas and those associates inside the country. IT is public secret almost all 225 had signed to help bringing Drug consignments to the country. They say some Embassy packages may had had drugs (narcotics).
I do not know whether Maithripala is playing a game. Other than that, A deterrent punishment is essential. See Malaysia, Now Philippines, Saudi Arabia, china. Sri lanka needs a good Leader. The problem with Gotabhaya Rajapakse is his brothers who are supporting corruption. National intelligence is not inefficient. Ranil is trying to destroy it and weaken it.
In the west, where all are one group have intelligence to protect their industry and business. Sri lankan industry and businesses are sold off and destroyed, Politicians do not what rally happened. Sri lanka has destroyed Education, Health and Industry, commerce that way. Because European union is made in america.
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Nandamal bahubutha / July 10, 2019
JD, Are they actually the sharks or the sprats that have got caught up? In Sri Lanka will they ever catch up with the sharks – no never.The hoi polloi is good meat for the politician.
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JD / July 11, 2019
You never be able to catch sharks. IT says, indirect govts are involved in world wide drug trade, that is to destabilize govts, to earn much needed foreign exchange, and probably to find funds locally. So much information in the web.
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Saroja / July 10, 2019
Justice Done. You have found a way to exterminate yourself!
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Lankan / July 9, 2019
This is a trick by m3 to please public …what he has done in coup is worst than what drug dealers do ..
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Analyst / July 10, 2019
Drug Traffickers are equally dangerous as Gun Runners , are destroyers of human race .
People of this nation should be educated on this subject. Severe punishment of course be given but not sure about the Capital Punishment. Wrong persons can be punished by Unscrupulous Judges and their Judgements.
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Analyst / July 11, 2019
It’s time for the government to educate the Young and old of the bad effects on drug usage , as mentioned above on my comment . Educate sooner than one waiting for the change of government.
Limited knowledge among our people on this subject.
When the children are coming home with a load of cash find out the source , parents should ask the question themselves , find out whether the money acquired by their child was through legal means or illegal means.
The drug usage can destroy the child the family and their friends too. This message should be free , loud and clear.
Schools , Places of worship where the Spiritual leaders comes into contact with public must talk openly of this menace.
It’s not fashionable using drugs it’s a destructive element.
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justice / July 10, 2019
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/07/the_morning_they_beheaded_the_drug_smugglers_it_wasnt_pretty_believe_me.html publicly.
In Saudi Arabia they behead drug smugglers. Sirisena wants to hang them. Why dont we?
Both achieve same results – if at all.
Thirupathy God may not approve – so what?
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Marwan / July 10, 2019
Silly, why you only prone to think that Saudi Arabia is the only country to behead drug smugglers, when there are as many as 35 countries in the world, where death penalty for drug offences are carried out. If you do your own research, you may be surprised to know which of those countries that officially kill for drug related offences, let alone the many extra judicial killings (7 thousand odd and still climbing) by Duerte in Philippine (he himself claims to have shot and killed two with his own hands).
The total number of confirmed executions from around the world, for drug related offences (excluding China, including very limited data from Vietnam) between 2008 and 2018 is 4,366 (of which 3,975 were in Iran alone). Only five of these countries executed individuals for drug offences in 2018 (China, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia). It is likely that Vietnam carried out drug-related executions,but because of state secrecy it is not possible to confirm this.
The countries with Highest Application of death penalty law are: China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Lower Application are: Egypt, Iraq, Laos, Pakistan, Palestine, Taiwan and Thailand.
Symbolic Application:: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cuba, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Myanmar, Oman, Qatar, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, United Emirates and United States of America.
Data insufficient: Libya, North Korea, Syria and Yemen.
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justice / July 11, 2019
Marwan,
I never said that Saudi Arabia is the only country which executes drug smugglers.
It is the only country which publicly beheads them.
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Don Quixote / July 10, 2019
IMPEACH SIRA !
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clean slate / July 10, 2019
Death sentence is necessary in some instances like in the case of Child Seya. But what robs human dignity is letting a man hang at the end of a rope. There is a more civilized method of shooting a convict by five men who hold guns with four blanks and only one live bullet. This is putting it briefly. The nittygritty of it has to be worked out. The convict pays with his life and the five executioners dont know whose bullet killed him. If there be no executions at least go through the motions of an execution on the gallows. Walk the convict on to the gallows, hood him, place the noose round his neck but dont pull the lever. Read out to him it is for the mercy of Maithri (not the prez, but the Noble One) that he is being spared.
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JD / July 10, 2019
The best thing is just line up all 18 in front of Galla Face and fire. Hang man is very time consuming. People lose time while arguing on this.
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Manel Fonseka / July 10, 2019
JD — do you have a wife/husband and children?
I sincerely hope not.
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BP / July 10, 2019
Every jailbird has done some act against a person or a group of people. Our 1+225 who harm the whole country are free birds.
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Good Sense / July 10, 2019
Let us give Maru Sira the full benefit of the doubt. Yes! His Axcellency indeed signed the documents but the file is not passed down stairs. Even most of the officials in the Presidential Palace may not be aware excepting the vital few (Prez Secretary may not know). They are tasked to negotiate in bakeries and finally in hotel car parks with the middle men who carry out the orders of the convicts. Boy! You show the photocopy of the order and won’t that drive a chill in the spines of the targeted persons? The motive is clear. If drug dealers can earn their Billions why can’t they share a part of it with me? But GOD upstairs prevented the deals going through because of court orders. What a shame. Including myself, and a good majority we voted for this guy and RW to do good to this country. WE WERE WRONG.
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Mano / July 10, 2019
Would a person having a wife children and family ever indulge in crimes like Drugs and arms trafficking ?
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