The trial around the disappearance of two Tamil men has been adjourned after Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa failed to attend court to give testimony.
The trial of the habeas corpus petition of two Tamil men known as Lalith and Kugan continued at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on June 21. The youths were forcibly disappeared from Jaffna in December 2011 while themselves helping to organise a protest for families of disappeared persons.
Gotabhaya’s lawyer said that the former defence secretary was unable to appear before the court as he was recovering from heart surgery in Singapore.
This month charges were filed in the US against Gotabhaya, with the presidential hopeful accused of overseeing torture and sexual violence during his time as defence chief.
The case of Lalith and Kugan has been adjourned to September 27.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
