21 NOVEMBER 2012 BY KITHSIRI WIJESINGHE
Chrishantha Weliamuna - better known as JC Weliamuna - is a leading constitutional and human rights lawyer, who has been active in the field of human rights for almost two decades. He is the former Executive Director of the Sri Lankan chapter of the Transparency International (TISL) - the global coalition of civil society organisations working against corruption. As the head of the TISL, he drew the wrath of the government for exposing serious corruption scandals and appearing in highly sensitive cases involving human rights violations. In September 2008, he and his family survived a grenade attack on his residence in Colombo.
Speaking to JDS, he shruged off threats as a less important matter. 'I rose from humble beginnings in rural down south to become a professional. It's my duty to stay and fight' he says.
In 2010, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Berlin based
Transparency International. Currently he serves as a convener of the Lawyers for Democracy (LfD), apart from playing an active role at the forefront of the human rights movement in the island.
Excerpts from the interview follow:
JDS: The continuous attacks on judiciary, including the physical attack on Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) can be seen as an open manifestation of a cold war brewing between the judiciary and the Executive. Despite such views, the government has categorically denied any such involvement in the attack. Any comments on government's denial?
J.C. Weliamuna: In my opinion, it was quite obvious who and what paved the way to this ugly scenario. There is no point of trying to sweep the obvious evidence under the rug. For example the physical attack was undoubtedly a result of the differences emerged between the Judicial Service Commission and the Executive. The Executive president himself accused the Secretary of the JSC as the main culprit responsible for fanning such differences and then within days he got beaten up. You don't need to be a genius to put two and two together if you have the basic intelligence to figure out the the way politics work in Sri Lanka. When the Executive president of the country threw unsubstantiated accusations at JSC Secretary for committing various 'malpractices', the consequences can be easily predicted. President's comments clearly indicated that there is an open desire to tame and subjugate the entire judicial system. Before the secretary was attacked, the assailants have asked whether he is the 'JSC guy'. The message hidden behind this question was absolutely clear: it simply means 'don't mess with us!'
JDS: Nonetheless, the stand off between the judiciary and the government didn't last long and it even appeared as if the judiciary itself wanted to sweep the issue under the rug. Why the reluctance?
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