(Hong Kong, November 30, 2010)
Assassination of a torture victim and the death of criminal justice in Sri Lanka
On November 22, 2004 at 11:30 am, Gerald Perera, a torture victim who was to give evidence in the High Court of Negombo against six police officers from the Wattala Police Station who brutally tortured him, was shot while traveling to work. He died two days later due to his injuries. Subsequent inquiries established that the assassins were the same police officers who were charged of the torture against him. The case relating to the murder is still dragging on at the High Court of Negombo, while the six police officers charged of torture were acquitted by the High Court. This judgement has been appealed and the case is now pending before the Court of Appeal.
Through this case of torture and murder of an innocent man by a group of police officers, Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system demonstrated its incapacity to deal with murder, torture and gross abuse of human rights. The criminal justice system proved that it is incapable of serving the interests of justice.
The AHRC wishes to remind you that no justice has yet been delivered in the case of Gerald Perera and draws your attention to the current situation of the breakdown of rule of law in Sri Lanka.
To mark this occasion the AHRC would like to share the story of Gerald Perera in a small video taken from the documentary film UNJUST, directed and produced by Josefina Bergsten. The video includes comments by Basil Fernando, Director for Policy and Programme Development, AHRC.
English version
Singhalese version
For further information on the case of Gerald Perera please see our latest statement on the case: AHRC-STM-232-2010.
