SRI LANKA: The death of law

PRESS RELEASE
AHRC-PRL-027-2011
SRI LANKA: The death of law

(Hong Kong, June 11, 2011) This is a discussion on the serious crisis of law in Sri Lanka. 33 years of the promulgation of the present Constitution, what is legal and what is not has been obliterated in Sri Lanka. As an illustration of the crisis of law, three incidents are discussed:

• The killing of young Chanake Roshanne; a worker in the Free Trade Zone;
• The lifting of his body by the army on the orders of the government;
• The presence of thugs with poles in their hand on the road on the day of his funeral, to threaten anyone who wanted to participate in his funeral to prevent protest against the killing

Each of these incidents are discussed in terms of the law that prevailed before 1978 and the absence of law now. The implications of lawlessness on the security of the citizens who are now without the protection of law is discussed in detail by Mr. Basil Fernando, a Sri Lankan lawyer and the Director for Policy and Programme Development at the Asian Human Rights Commission.

To view this video in English and Sinhala please use these links:

English version:
http://blip.tv/asian-human-rights-commission/sri-lanka-the-death-of-law-5261525
Sinhala version:
http://blip.tv/asian-human-rights-commission/sinhala-version-sri-lanka-the-death-of-law-5264055

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

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