SRI LANKA: Threat made against tenant of the late Gerald Perara 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has come to learn of a threat made against the tenant of the late Gerald Perara. Owing to the seriousness of the threat and given the person who made it, the victim lives in fear for his and his family’s life.

Mr. Nimal is the neighbour of Mr. Jayasanthe, a member of the Sri Lankan police force. Nimal is the tenant of the late Mr. Gerald Perara living at 52/B/2, Mihidu Mawatha, Gonagaha. Gerald was assassinated while pursuing a case of torture against several police officers of Wattala Police Station (please see UP-120-2005).

Nimal has been a tenant in Gerald’s house for approximately one and a half years. On 13 June 2006, Nimal’s wife had been cleaning the land around the house with a broom. At this time Mr. Jayasanthe had come and shouted at Nimal’s wife in utter filth that the dust generated by her brooming was going onto his property. She was also told to ask her husband to meet Mr. Jayasanthe that evening. After learning this from his wife Nimal went and met Mr. Jayasanthe and asked why he was shouting filth at his wife, to which Mr. Jayasanthe allegedly replied that talking about women and their body is not filth. Thereafter Jayasanthe threatened Nimal saying “I will kill you in the same way as the earlier occupant [referring to Gerald] was killed”. Thereafter Jayasanthe called the police on the police emergency number and requested the assistance of four police constables from Gampaha station and informed them that Nimal had threatened him. After inquiring into the matter, the police asked Nimal to come to the police station. Nimal went to the police station. Soon after Nimal was allowed to go but told to keep the peace.

The reference to Gerald and his death and the threat of carrying out a similar action has frightened Nimal and his family. The days before Gerald’s death the same Jayasanthe befriended Gerald and on the day Gerald was shot inside a bus [21 November 2005] it was Jayasathe who gave Gerald a lift from his house and dropped Gerald off at the bus stop in his car. There is a common suspicion that Jayasanthe is an accomplice to the assassination and that it was he who informed the assassins that Gerald had boarded the bus.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write a letter of concern to the authorities listed below asking that they inquire into this matter and also to take appropriate action to further inquire into the conspiracies which lead to the assassination of Mr. Gerald.