Sri Lanka urged to end regime of impunity

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 December 2003, 13:16 GMT]
At a press conference in New Delhi while releasing its 139 pages report, "The State of Civil and Political Rights in Sri Lanka", Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) Tuesday highlighted the massive violations of civil and political rights in Sri Lanka and urged the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations made by the United Nations Human Rights Committee on 6 November 2003.

The report documents arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, custodial rape,extrajudicial executions, disappearances, violations of press freedom and the lack of independence of judiciary.

Although torture has been recognised as a criminal offence since 1994, Sri Lankan government has so far filed indictments against only 43 police and security personnel and instituted disciplinary actions against only 12 officers for failing to stop torture.

No one has been prosecuted until today. "Impunity has turned the Sri Lankan Police into the country's most feared and organised criminal gang" – stated Suhas Chakma, Director.