(Hong Kong, June 23, 2008) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today wrote to the Sri Lankan authorities to provide protection to a family facing death threats to force them to withdraw their petition to the Supreme Court. The husband, wife and their two children are the petitioners in a fundamental rights case (No. FR 446/07) in which the Supreme Court had granted leave to proceed.
The AHRCs letter states:
Siyaguna Kosgodage Anton Sugath Nishantha Fernando and Annakarage Surangee Sandamali Padmi Peiris are a husband and wife who live at No. 349/2A, Jayamawatha Road, Dalupotha, Negombo, Sri Lanka. Both of them and their two children are petitioners in a fundamental rights application before the Supreme Court bearing number FR. 446/07. The respondents are 12 police officers from Negombo. The petitioners, who alleged torture, illegal arrest and detention, were granted leave to proceed by the Supreme Court. Mr. Fernando had earlier made a complaint against IP [Inspector of Police] Mahagamage Dramadasa for soliciting a bribe of 5,000 rupees (US$46) about which the Bribery Commission has inquired and filed a prosecution before the High Court of Colombo bearing No. B/1658/2006. The attack on the family on 12 November 2006 by a large number of policemen was to force them to withdraw their complaint relating to this bribery case. Today (23 June) several persons visited the family and asked them to withdraw the fundamental rights petition within a day, or they will all be killed. This threat was made twice during the same day. Names of the persons who made the threat are Nirosan and Namal from nearby villages, and these two are known to the petitioners as people with a criminal background usually hired for criminal activities. The family believes that these threats had been made at the instigation of police officers who are respondents in the fundamental rights application. The family is now on the way to make a complaint.
Your kind intervention to have this matter investigated and to provide protection for the petitioners in this fundamental rights case may save the family from possible harm.
Basil Fernando, the director of the AHRC said, This is crazy. The whole family was beaten by many policemen because the head of the family had made a complaint of bribery against a police inspector. Then the family made a complaint about this to the Supreme Court. Now they face death threats. This is the terrible reality of the country. We hope the authorities will act before it is too late.
