State Violence in Sri Lanka - World Organisation Against Torture

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State Violence in SRI LANKA
2.Case of Kurukulasuriya Pradeep Niranjan
In the case of Kurukulasuriya Pradeep Niranjan, the victim was arrested on 13
May 2001 and kept in remand prison until 21 February 2003 under the
charge of killing a 76-year old Catholic priest, Fr. Alfred Bernard Cost (popularly
known as Aba Costa), on 10 May 2001. This was a gruesome murder
where the priest was stabbed 27 times and was strangled to death. The death
was highly publicized throughout the country. On 21 February 2003, the
Attorney General released Kurukulasuriya Pradeep Niranjan without any
charges. Kurukulasuriya Pradeep Niranjan complained that he had been
severely beaten to get him to confess to the murder of the Catholic priest. He
also claimed that, because he had been accused of killing a Catholic priest, he
was badly treated inside the remand. His family, including 4 children, suffered
greatly from the accusation. Living in a Catholic area and having someone in
the family accused of murdering a senior priest, Kurukulasuriya Pradeep
Niranjan’s entire family was ostracized. After charges were dropped and he was
released, no compensation was ever paid for torture, illegal arrest and detention
for a prolonged period of time or for the humiliation that he and his family
suffered. The Human Rights Committee is respectfully requested to look
into failures similar to this case where the state does not accept responsibility
for its actions.
3. Cases of Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa (25) (AHRC UA-41-
2003) and Sunil Hemachandra (28) (AHRC UA-34-2003)
In both of these cases, the families have publicly expressed doubts regarding
medical officer objectivity. After Garlin Kankanamge Sanjeewa was declared
to have hung himself with his trouser belt inside the Kadawatte police station,
his mother dug a grave in her garden in the hopes that a new autopsy could be
conducted with different doctors. A short article in the International press
regarding the case is attached. A great deal of print and public media attention
has been given to the case and the impossibility that the death occurred in the
manner described by the police. In the case of Sunil Hemachandra, three
eyewitnesses testified that they had seen the victim being severely beaten by
Moragahahena police officers. The family also submitted proof that the
young man did not have any history of serious illness, epilepsy or seizures.
The medical report made no mention of injuries to the head resulting from
the assault but did mention that the deceased may have had a seizure and
fallen. This case received a lot of media attention and cartoons were published
in some newspapers ridiculing the findings of the medical officers. In both