SRI LANKA: Victim of assault denied justice to protect an influential culprit
25 June 2014
ISSUES: Violence against women; threat to life; fair trail; witness protection; impunity; rule of law
Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the student of a prestigious college in the Kandy District was assaulted by a state educational officer in public. She was subsequently treated at the Kandy Hospital and later examined by a Judicial Medical Officer. The victim complained to the police authorities in the area and although her complaint was accepted no steps have been taken to investigate and prosecute the culprit. This is common in Sri Lanka when the culprits are influential officers belonging to the state sector. It is plainly evident that the law enforcement agencies implement the rule of law selectively allowing the rights of innocent people to be suppressed and the victims continuously denied justice.
