Shirani can get her security back – Police
Impeached Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, can get her security reinstated, if she makes a request to the relevant officials, Police Spokesperson, SSP Prishantha Jayakody told Ceylon Today.
Mirror
By Binoy Suriyaarachchi-2013-01-21
Impeached Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, can get her security reinstated, if she makes a request to the relevant officials, Police Spokesperson, SSP Prishantha Jayakody told Ceylon Today.
Dr. Bandaranayake was provided with seven police guards while she was serving as the Chief Justice. All of them were withdrawn after she was impeached.
He said, “If she requests for security it could be provided without any delay.”
The spokesperson pointed out the ousted Chief Justice had neither requested nor lodged a complaint with the police, claiming she required her security back. However, sources close to Dr. Bandaranayake said she had already appealed to Inspector General of Police, N.K. Illangakoon, in a letter requesting to reinstate her security.
When Ceylon Today questioned the Police Spokesperson he said such a request has not been made yet and added the police regularly take steps to withdraw security of judges and even the Chief Justice, after they retire or resign from their posts, and security would only be afforded if they request it officially.
Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union, Catherine Ashton, in a statement urged the Sri Lankan Government to respect the right to peaceful protest and to ensure the safety of both impeached Chief Justice and all human rights defenders.
When Dr. Bandaranayake was leaving her house at Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo recently she said, “My life and the lives of my family members are in danger.”
Mirror
(Mirror) – A female lawyer who has supported the impeached chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake has been strangled by a stranger on the road, Lawyers Collective member Sunil Watagala said.
She had gone to Kirulapone police station to lodge a complaint regarding an assault of a person and his mobile phone being dashed to the ground, at court premises.
On her way back, a motorcyclist had stopped her vehicle and told her to down the shutters and strangled her.
She had honked her horn and people had assembled, when the assailant had fled.
Mr. Watagala declined to reveal the name of the female lawyer, as she is in a state of shock and fright.
He said leading lawyers Jayampathy Wickramaratne, Romesh de Silva and MP M.A. Sumanthiran have received threatening letters for having supported the sacked CJ.
Lawyers have decided to collect signatures for public petitions seeking protection for their threatened colleagues.
Transparency International director Shan Wijetunga said they have also asked the government to provide protection to lawyers who had supported the ex-CJ.
