sri lanka's commissions of inquiry - Law & Society Trust

The Report presents a concise chapter of findings, which details the
specific findings for each component of the mandate. 80 This includes
names of those individuals the Commission found to be responsible.
The Report includes the names of thirteen police officers found to be
directly responsible for torturing and illegally detaining individuals as
part of counter subversive activities at the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
The Commission named ASP Keerthi Atapattu as directly responsible,
and ASP Peiris indirectly responsible, for the disappearance of SI
Priyadharshana and indicated a political motive for the disappearance
and killing. The Commission found ASP Peiris directly responsible
for violating the human rights of SI Jayasinghe. Further, it found
Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe indirectly responsible for violations
for facilitating the use of the Housing Scheme and found that there
was evidence to suggest that the Minister was aware of the illegal
activities being carried out at Batalanda and that he tacitly supported
those activities. Additionally, the Commission faulted a number of
high-ranking officials in the police for not taking action as demanded
by law.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Commission, comprised of two sitting judges of the High Court,
was concerned primarily with legal remedies. It recommended
prosecutions, disciplinary action, and further investigations of the
incidents and individuals found by the Commission to be responsible
for those incidents. Additionally, the Commission recommended a
code of conduct that would set out the responsibilities and duties of
politicians and law enforcement officers and recommended that the
Supreme Court be vested with the jurisdiction to deprive persistent
violators of human rights of their civic rights.
80.
Batalanda Report, p. 113-123.
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