Stop Custodial Deaths in Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA: Finding indicators for the reform of the operational system of criminal justice

Basil Fernando A few preliminary remarks At the very outset it is necessary to place the problem of criminal justice reforms in SouthAsian countries in its actual context. The existing criminal justice systems are in serious crisis and this needs to be the starting point when we discuss this matter from the point of view […]

SRI LANKA: Drama on the Ah

If a girl sits badly, it is up to her mother to cover her thighs. – Orma (Kenyan) Proverb Again, it works, doesn’t it? But for how long you are going to trap the public with this same strategy which has different faces? When the person who has abused power and undermined the basic rights of […]

SRI LANKA: Is the Executive really more accountable to Parliament

Months after the 18th Amendment: Is the Executive really more accountable to Parliament? The 18th Amendment, we were told, would make the President more accountable to Parliament. The Editorial of the Sunday Observer noted back in the day. By making it mandatory for the President to attend Parliament at least once in three months to […]

SRI LANKA: Extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths must be stopped and investigated

Extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths are happening because of: Refusal of the police and judiciary to investigate; The absence of investigations is the result of breakdown of the rule of law; Which is in turn the result of the constitutional decision which has removed all the checks and balances once available   The incidents of […]

SRI LANKA: Death sentences carried out by the police in Sri Lanka

When extraordinary explanations justify extrajudicial killings   By Sofie Rordam Arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings are an almost daily occurrence in Sri Lanka today. The police system and additional institutions expected to be the protectors of law have become so dysfunctional and politicized that illegalities predominantly are carried out in their names. Extrajudicial killings are […]