Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said he will be proposing legislation to expedite or dismiss human rights cases against Sri Lankan police officers, an act that will further entrench the island’s culture of impunity.
“I will be bringing to Parliament legislation to amend the Establishments Code, so cases of human rights violations against police officers can be expeditiously heard and if such cases are not heard in a timely manner, that they are dismissed,” Weerasekara reportedly told The Sunday Morning.
He went on to add that “a majority of these cases are baseless allegations.”
“Many police officers are not able to receive their deserved promotions and advances. If such cases were important, then they should be heard in an expedited manner by the relevant authority such as the Human Rights Commission,” Weerasekara added.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted in a statement that Sri Lankan police are increasingly killing and abusing people under cover of the coronavirus pandemic measures and an anti-drug campaign.
“Since May 2021, the police have been implicated in several unlawful deaths, including some linked to disproportionate and abusive enforcement of Covid-19 quarantines,” HRW stated.
The report also highlighted a number of cases in which the police beat civilians to death including those who allegedly violated quarantine rules. It also highlighted the case of Chandran Vidushan, a 22-year-old whom the police tied to a tree and assaulted before he was killed in custody.
Just last month, there were two incidents of Sri Lankan police brutality against Tamil youth in the North-East.
Read more here: Sri Lankan police brutalise Tamil youth in Batticaloa.
Read more here: Another incident of Sri Lankan police brutality reported in Batticaloa
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