Appoint An Independent Commission On Weliweriya – Bar Association
“We do not see any valid reason to call the Army for assistance. Further there is strong grounds to show that the normal procedure adopted to disperse a crowd was not followed and it is clearly seen that persons who were running away were pursued and attacked by entering private premises and places of worship.” says the BASL Standing Committee of Rule of Law.
August 3, 2013
Secretary to the MOD Gotabaya Rajapaksa
“We do not see any valid reason to call the Army for assistance. Further there is strong grounds to show that the normal procedure adopted to disperse a crowd was not followed and it is clearly seen that persons who were running away were pursued and attacked by entering private premises and places of worship.” says the BASL Standing Committee of Rule of Law.
Issuing a statement its Chairman Lal Wijenayake says; It is unlikely that an extraordinary action such as calling the army to disperse a protesting crowed would have been taken without orders from the highest level..
We publish below the statement in full;
The standing committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka on Rule of Law at an emergency meeting of the committee considered the brutal attack on persons who were involved in a protest at Weliweriya and resolved as follows:
ulmination of a series of attacks by the police on students, trade unions and even lawyers.
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Lawyers Appalled At Killing Peaceful Protesters: Urges Government To Control Its Armed Forces
August 3, 2013
Responding to the brutal attack by the armed forces on Thursday (1st August) at Weliweriya, killing and injuring unarmed civilians demanding uncontaminated water, the Lawyers Collective strongly condemns the Government’s continuous ferocity against peaceful protesters. The Government has displayed total disrespect to the constitutional guarantees on civil liberties of its own citizens. Evidence clearly establishes that deplorable levels of force including live bullets were used on the unarmed villagers. The assailants also assaulted journalists and grabbed their cameras by force when they were doing their job covering the event. Lawyers Collective urges stern actions against those responsible for ordering and carrying out this brutal attack. Read More