Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received another two cases of deaths in custody in Sri Lanka. It is already the third custodial death case that AHRC has received in the past week. Victims of both cases were allegedly tortured and killed by police officers.
AHRC expresses our deep concern for the continuing practice of torture and extrajudicial killings by police officers and strongly urges you to take action to pressure the Sri Lankan government to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into these cases and to take strong action to stop the routine use of torture.
Urgent Appeals Programme
The Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:
1. The case of Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa (25 years old)
– Date of incident: 28 August 2003
– Perpetrators: Police officers of the Kadawatta police station
– Details:
Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa, a 25-year-old soldier, was on his way home for a holiday. He was arrested in Kadawatta, a Colombo suburb, by police officers from the Kadawatta police station on 27 August 2003 for suspicion of robbery.
The next day he was found dead with the police claiming that he had hung himself in the police cell with the belt of his trousers because he felt it was too shameful to be in detention. However, there is widespread suspicion that the victim was tortured to death and that the police fabricated the case to cover up his murder.
The victim’s mother said that she saw that her son’s feet were on the floor of the cell when she saw his body, but the sketch made by police officers does not show his death this way. She also saw blood flowing from the lower part of her son’s body and a wound on one of his arms. The victim’s family is insisting that a proper and impartial inquiry be held and that a second inquest take place because they do not trust the post-mortem conducted in the police station. They have now buried the victim’s body in a private garden on 1 September because they fear that the police will steal his body.
2. The case of R. M. Loku Banda (60 years old)
– Date of incident: 28 August 2003
– Perpetrators: Police officers of Maturata police station
– Details:
R. M. Loku Banda, 60, had a dispute with two villagers about the construction of a road. While they were arguing with each other, the police came to intervene in the dispute, and they arrested R. M. Loku Banda. He was taken to the Maturata police station where he was later found dead in his cell. The reason for his death has not yet been revealed.
However, human rights groups state that torture after his arrest is seen as the reason for his death. The son of the victim, R. M Jayasinghe, made a complaint about his father’s death to the authorities, but the investigation against the responsible police officers has not yet begun.
In Sri Lanka, there is no public confidence in the inquiries conducted by the police into serious crimes where the alleged perpetrators are also police officers.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter, fax or e-mail to the addresses below expressing your concern about the high number of deaths and torture in police custody in Sri Lanka.
1 Hon. Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe
Prime Minister
Cambridge Place, Colombo 7
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 1 2 682905
E-mail: <mailto:secpm@sltnet.lk>secpm@sltnet.lk or <mailto:bradmanw@slt.lk>bradmanw@slt.lk
2. Mr. John Amaratunge
Minister of Interior
P.O. Box 572, No. 15/5, Baladaksha,
Mawatha, Colombo 3,
SRI LANKA
Tel: 941 2 430-860
Fax: 00941 2 -385526
Email: <mailto:interior@sltnet.lk>interior@sltnet.lk
3. Hon. Mr. K. C. Kamalasabesan
Attorney General
Attorney General’s Department
Colombo 12
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 1 2 436 421
Email: <mailto:attorney@sri.lanka.net>attorney@sri.lanka.net or <mailto:counsel@sri.lanka.net>counsel@sri.lanka.net
4. Mr. Ranjith Abeysuriya PC
Chairman National Police Commission
69-1 Ward Place, Colombo 7
Sri Lanka
Fax: +94 1 2 691 926
Fax HOME: +941 2 674148
5. National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka
No. 36, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 1 2 694 925 / 673 806
Fax: +94 1 2 694 924
E-mail: <mailto:sechrc@sltnet.lk>sechrc@sltnet.lk
6. Ms. Asma Jahangir
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: 92 42 5763 234
Fax: 41 22 917 9006 / 92 42 5763 236
Email: <mailto:webadmin.hchr@unog.ch>webadmin.hchr@unog.ch / <mailto:asmalaw@brain.net.pk>asmalaw@brain.net.pk
7. Mr. Theo C. van Boven
Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the Question of Torture
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917-9016
E-mail: <mailto:secrt.hchr@unog.ch>secrt.hchr@unog.ch
and at:
International Relations
Maastricht University
The Netherlands
Tel: 31-43-3883233 (Assistant: Chantal Kuipers)
Email: <mailto:th.vanboven@ir.unimaas.nl>th.vanboven@ir.unimaas.nl
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear
RE: The custodial death of Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa (25 years old); the custodial death of R. M. Loku Banda (60 years old)
I am wring to bring to your immediate attention two custodial death cases involving Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa, 25, and R. M Loku Banda, 60.
Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa was arrested by police officers from the Kadawatta police station on 27 August 2003 and was found dead the next day (28 August 2003). The police have claimed that he hung himself in the police cell with the belt of his trousers. However, there is widespread suspicion that the victim was tortured to death and that the police have fabricated the case to cover up his murder.
In the case of R. M. Loku Banda, he was arrested by the police while he had an argument with his neighbours on 28 August 2003. He was taken to the Maturata police station and was later found dead in his cell.
Even though these are serious human rights violations committed by the police, which have sadly been too frequent in Sri Lanka, there seems to be no serious action taken by the authorities to correct this matter. It shows that the culture of the "tolerance of torture" is widespread among all authorities, including the police and judges as well as politicians.
I strongly urge you to immediately investigate these two custodial deaths and to reveal the truth of their deaths. I also urge you to bring the responsible police officers before an independent and impartial court and punish them. I further urge you to take a more serious approach to eliminate custodial deaths and torture and to develop an action plan to impose discipline on law enforcement officers.
Yours truly,
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Thank you.
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Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
