“The failure of [Sri Lanka's] policing system to protect victims and witnesses - and its tendency to undermine rather than reinforce their rights - precludes the development of public trust in law enforcement, the judicial system, and the state.”
- Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, political consultant and writer, Asian Human Rights Commission. See her analysis here.
See also the report 'A Study of Police Torture in Sri Lanka' by Morten Koch Andersen and Basil Fernando.
"Torture is a way of life at all police stations in Sri Lanka, whether the alleged crimes investigated are those relating to petty criminal offences, serious crimes or offences under the emergency and anti-terrorism laws."
- Asian Human Rights Commission in 2008 (see Reuters' report here).
See also Amnesty International's view on the conduct of Sri Lanka's police in 2002 - the first year of the internationally-led peace process.