SRI LANKA: Custodial death of young man

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the suspicious death of a young man in the Gampaha Police Station on 7 April 2008 after arrest. The police reported that he had committed suicide and when his relatives asked for an investigation no response has received.

CASE DETAILS:

According to the information received, at 6:30pm on 4 April 2008, Sureen Kinson left his house to meet a friend named Jude, but did not return home that night.

At 9am on next day, Jude informed Sureen’s grandmother that police officers attached to the Gampaha Police Station had arrested Sureen and had taken him to the police station. On receiving this information, Sureen’s grandmother went to the station and found Sureen in the lock up room where she was able to speak to him. Sureen told her that while returning from Jude’s house, he was arrested on ‘suspicion’. However, he was not given any further details. Sureen’s grandmother met with a lawyer at 10:30am who later informed her after visiting the police station that Sureen would be released after the police officer took down a statement.

On April 6, when Sureen’s grandmother went to the police station, an officer told her that all officers concerned with her son’s case had gone to the site of a bomb blast and asked her to return the following day. While she was waiting for the lawyer on April 7, an officer named Priyantha asked her to see Officer-in-Charge of Crime Branch.

When she met OIC Crime Branch, the OIC told her to see the Head Quarters Inspector (HQI). When she met this officer she was told that Sureen had committed suicide in the lock up room and asked her to go to the Gampaha hospital and give a statement. She identified the dead body as that of her grandson in the hospital. She also witnessed wounds all over his face and a wire mark around his neck. Gampaha Magistrate Sahabdeen conducted the post mortem where she was asked to be present for the medical examination.

On April 8, she went to Office of the Assistant Superintendent Police in Paliyagoda where she made a report. On April 9, the Medical Officer, after the examination, told her that there were wounds on his head, back, right arm, left hand side, eye brows, and on the forehead. The officer further stated that there was a wire mark around his neck and that it was difficult to judge whether the mark revealed that Sureen had committed a suicide. His body was handed over to her on April 9 and a ritual was held on April 10.

On May 5, she informed this incident to the Inspector General Police, the Legal Division of the Deputy Inspector General, Criminal Investigation Division, Senior Superintendent of Police and Assistant Superintendent of Police in Gampaha and various other authorities. However, to-date no action has been taken nor has she received any response from the aforementioned officers.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the local authorities listed below urging them to investigate the suspicious death of a man in custody.

Please be informed that the AHRC has also written separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture calling for an investigation in this case.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER