Mr. Amitha Ariyaratne, Attorney-at-Law, was threatened three times with death on 27, January 2009 at the Negombo Police Station by some police officers. He was visiting the police station for an official business when this happened. Earlier he was threatened with death and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka passed a resolution condemning the death threats and requesting an enquiry from the Inspector General of Police (IGP). However, no officers were arrested or questioned on these death threats.
Yesterday evening when Mr. Ariyaratne arrived at the Negombo Police Station and parked his car near the police station, an officer spoke to him in abusive language. He complained about this matter to a superior officer at the station. When he was leaving the station another officer, Mr. Bandara, confronted him and threatened him with death. Bandara assaulted Ariyaratne on his shoulder.
Mr. Ariyaratne was the lawyer for Mr. Sugath Nishanta Fernando, who was a complainant in a bribery case. Ariyaratne is also representing Sugaths family in a complaint of torture, where some police officers from Negombo Police Station are accused of torturing Sugath. Sugath was later murdered, an incident in which the role of some police officers against whom Sugath has filed the complaint are suspected to be involved.
A former officer in charge of the police has been charged under the Bribery Act for seeking and obtaining bribe from Sugath. In order to force him and his wife from giving evidence in that case, the Sugath, his wife and their two children were severely assaulted by a large number of policemen. It is this incident that resulted in Sugath lodging a complaint about torture. Sugath also filed a fundamental rights petition and the Supreme Court has granted leave to proceed.
While this was pending, Sugath and his wife were threatened by a group of persons to withdraw the petition within 24 hours or to face death. Sugath appealed to the IGP, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, National Police Commission and Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights to inquire into the death threats and grant him protection. However, on the 20th of September 2008 he was gunned down. At the inquest the Sugaths family members stated that the only persons they suspect for the committing of the murder were the policemen against whom Sugath was a witness in two cases. It was during the inquest proceedings in this case Mr. Ariyaratne was threatened with death for being the legal representative for the family of the deceased.
On the 26th of January, in the afternoon, an anonymous caller telephoned the Right to Life Centre, a human rights organisation in Negombo and wanted to speak to the boss. When the staff who answered the call requested the caller for the name of the person he wanted to speak to, the caller used abusive language and threatened to kill everyone in the organisation. The caller threatened, …you people were told earlier to keep out of this work and you don’t seem to listen, and three or four of you will be killed. When the staff asked the caller to identify himself with his name he refused and continued his verbal abuse over the telephone. The caller also said that this is the second time he is calling to the centre.
The Right to Life Centre lodged a complaint with the IGP about the call and referred to the earlier call of similar nature which was given close to the date on which Sugath was assassinated. The centre requested the IGP to inquire into the matter, and also informed senior officers of the Negombo area about this incident.
Following the assassination of Mr. Lasantha Manilal Wickramatunge, a prominent journalist of Sri Lanka, there have been a series of threats to many persons including journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. The government is not taking any action to stop this. Under these circumstances the life of Mr. Ariyaratne and the human rights activists associated with the Right to Life Centre are in serious danger.
