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Rishad and Riyaj at CID  

24 Apr 2021

  • Under 72 hours PTA detention 

  • Speaker in the dark about prior notice 

  • Clients’ due process rights violated: Counsel 

  Opposition parliamentarian and All-Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Leader Rishad Bathiudeen and one of his brothers, Riyaj Bathiudeen, were arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday (24), for allegedly aiding and abetting the suicide bombers that executed the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019. Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the duo was taken into custody based on the direct, circumstantial, and forensic evidence uncovered during the investigations into the bombings, and that legal action will be taken against them under the PTA.  Just before his arrest, MP Bathiudeen had posted a Tweet that read: “The CID has been standing outside my house in Bauddhaloka Mawatha since 1.30 a.m. and are attempting to arrest me without a charge. They have already arrested my brother (a reference to Riyaj Bathiudeen). I have been in Parliament, and have co-operated with all the lawful authorities up to now. This is unjust.” Riyaj Bathiudeen had been arrested by the CID at his residence in Wellawatta. In a video shared on social media, moments prior to his arrest by the CID, MP Bathiudeen had mentioned that because he is an MP and a Party Leader, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena would need to be informed if he were to be arrested. However, Bathiudeen claimed that when he had previously questioned the Speaker on the subject in Parliament on Friday (23), he had received no response.  When The Sunday Morning contacted Speaker Abeywardena for a comment, he claimed: “I was informed yesterday morning that MP Bathiudeen has been taken into custody over some issue. Beyond that, I don’t know anything about it.” The CID has since been granted permission to detain both Rishad and Riyaj Bathiudeen for a period of 72 hours on a detention order (DO) under the provisions of the PTA. Meanwhile, Attorney-at-Law Rushdhie Habeeb, representing the two Bathiudeen siblings, issued a statement on behalf of the members of the families as well as the ACMC, expressing shock and surprise on the sudden and unannounced arrests of the duo by officers of the CID. The statement mentioned that had the CID issued notice to the duo, they would have rightfully appeared at the CID, as they had done many times in the past. The statement claimed that these arrests were politically motivated, and “a racially vengeful process to punish the political leadership of the Muslims”.  When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Attorney Habeeb claimed that the charges on which MP Bathiudeen had been arrested had not been specified to Rishad Bathiudeen at the time of his arrest.   Habeeb also revealed that the information he received, with regard to the reason for arrest being cited as “aiding and abetting”, was only through media reports, adding that neither his clients. nor their families. had received any information directly. 

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