brand logo

Human rights cases against police officers: Laws to expedite cases 

31 Oct 2021

By Skandha Gunasekara  Minister of Public Security Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekara will propose new legislation to Parliament to speed up or dismiss human rights cases against police officers, it is learnt.  “I will be bringing to Parliament legislation to amend the Establishments Code, so cases of human rights violations against police officers can be expeditiously heard and if such cases are not heard in a timely manner, that they are dismissed,” Weerasekara told The Sunday Morning.  The Minister asserted that many such cases were based on false allegations.  “A majority of these cases are baseless allegations. As a result, many police officers are not able to receive their deserved promotions and advances. If such cases were important, then they should be heard in an expedited manner by the relevant authority such as the Human Rights Commission. If they’re being delayed, that means they are not valid, and should be dismissed so that these officers can get the advancements in their careers,” the Public Security Minister opined.  The Justice Ministry asserted that any new law must be within the ambit of the Criminal Procedure Code as well as the Constitution of Sri Lanka.  “Any law must be in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code or within the frame of the Constitution. Fundamental rights issues are there. You can’t expect the minister to bring a law to say that their (police’s) assault actions are correct, or it can be justified,” said Ministry of Justice Advisor Attorney-at-Law U.R. De Silva.


More News..