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Civil society writes to IGP condemning custodial violations

30 Jun 2021

  • Slams free speech restrictions and discrimination too 

By Pamodi Waravita    The Sri Lanka Collective Against Torture (SLCAT) wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) condemning several incidents of custodial violations such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, deaths and shootouts during the conduct of inspections, and the new restrictions placed upon the freedom of speech under the guise of tackling fake news.  “Particularly during a pandemic, when the rights of citizens are restricted due to health reasons, such incidents can cause public anxiety and unrest. Due to the lack of clarity of the Government regulations and decrees, the public when attempting to fulfil their basic needs, such as to purchase provisions, are subjected to ill treatment by the Police, as evidenced by video footage. While the Police should take action against those that violate the law, this should neither be arbitrary nor dependent on the identity or social status of the person, but should be fair and equitable,” the letter stressed.  Furthermore, the letter pointed to the participation of the Police in the birthday party of the Kurunegala Mayor and the funeral of the mother of a monk (Ven. Iththekande Sadhdhatissa Thero) as instances of the arbitrary application of the law.  The SLCAT also noted that the recent efforts to curtail fake news on social media can be used to stifle dissent and the freedom of expression, and noted therefore that the “restrictions on the human rights of citizens must not only be prescribed by the law but should be in accordance with the Constitution, proportionate and time bound and not be discriminatory.”  “We have also received disturbing reports of the Police not accepting complaints of women experiencing violence at home, which in turn exacerbates the violations experienced by women,” the letter further stated.  Accordingly, the SLCAT has called for seven immediate remedial actions including  to adhere to the Constitution, to investigate and make public the findings about custodial violations, to ensure that the Police accept complaints made by the public regarding violations, to ensure that the Police promptly respond to incidents of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), to provide guidelines to the Police on how to engage with the community in relation to the pandemic, to communicate about the pandemic in both the Sinhala and Tamil languages, and to establish a hotline for citizens to seek information regarding the pandemic.

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