Torture of Boosa Tamil detainees alleged

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 May 2008, 17:36 GMT]
Colombo High Court Judge Wednesday directed the prison authorities to produce three of the four Tamil suspects in Chandrika Kumaratunga attempted murder case before Colombo Judicial Medical Officer for medical examination when their lawyers submitted to court that they were subjected to torture and inhuman treatment by police officials in Boosa detention camp, legal sources said.

On May 10 they were transferred from Colombo Magazine Prison to Boosa detention camp. The fourth suspect Vasanthi Ragupathi Sarma was not produced in court along with three suspects Wednesday as she was kept in Magazine Prison.

Attorney-at-Law N.Sri Kantha on behalf of two suspects Sellathurai Varatharajan and Sakthivel Ilankeswaran submitted to court that his clients on arrival in Boosa detention camp from Colombo Magazine prisons had been subjected to severe torture and inhuman treatment after being undressed by police officials of the Terrorist Intelligence Division. Three police officers had assaulted the second suspect, legal sources said.

K.Jeyakumar, counsel for the third suspect Chandra Ayer Ragupathy Sarma submitted to court that his client was also subjected to torture and inhuman treatment in the hands of TID police officers.

Both counsel begged court to order for the transfer of their clients again to Magazine prison from Boosa, to initiate an inquiry into the conduct of TID officials in Boosa, and to seek explanation from the Commissioner of Prisons regarding the conduct of police officials in Boosa, legal sources said.

State Counsel Kapila Vaidiayaratne told court that suspects had been transferred to Boosa from Magazine prison for security reason and requested court not to accept defense version without obtaining explanation from the prison authorities.

Thereafter, the High Court Judge directed the prison authorities in Boosa and Magazine Prison to submit their stand regarding transferring these suspects again to Magazine Prison from Boosa. The court further directed that these suspects should be kept under the direct supervision of the Officer-in-Charge of Boosa detention camp.

Further inquiry in this case was put off for June 9.

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