File photograph.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed its “utmost outrage and horror” at the brutal assault of a young man from Medawachchiya last month, after he was forced to have a testicles removed due to assault perpetrated by Sri Lankan officers.
At least two police officers were arrested following the assault, which took place in Medawachchiya, a border town just south of Vavuniya.
The victim, a 23-year-old man, is the son of an officer who is reportedly to also be working at the same police station. The victim had told the local press that he was driving a small lorry when his path was obstructed by police officers who had followed him on a motorbike.
“The two officers dragged us out, trussed up my hands, and assaulted me,” he told reporters.
“Another four police officers who arrived by trishaw assaulted my friend with clubs. Later they took both of us to the Medawachchiya police and assaulted us again. I told them I was not well and requested to take me to hospital. The doctor who examined me told them, that I was in a serious condition and advised to admit me to Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital.”
“After being subject to a scan test, the doctors said the testicle had been affected by internal haemorrhage. I was subject to surgery to remove my testicle. I have severe pain in the abdomen, my neck, and my spine.”
He further said that he was not aware of the reason for the assault. However, OIC Medawachchiya police CI R.M.I.B. Ratnayake claimed that the lorry had sped away ignoring the order to halt at the traffic checkpoint and that the police officers had to chase them down.
In a statement, the BASL vehemently condemned any use of brutality by police officers while carrying out their duties.
“Such reprehensible acts not only contravene the fundamental principles of justice and human rights but also violate international instruments such as the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,” said the BASL.
“Furthermore, we underscore the obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which unequivocally prohibits torture or any form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Such actions also stand in stark violation of Article 11 of our Constitution, which guarantees freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”
The BASL said that it is deeply concerned by custodial deaths and the attribution of the cause for such deaths to ‘dubious’ circumstances including the purported attempts of detainees to escape, necessitating officers having to discharge their firearms.
The association went on to highlight that it has consistently condemned these and similar acts by law enforcement officials, recognizing them as egregious breaches of the rule of law.
“This recent incident is particularly alarming, raising the chilling spectre of a descent into a -police state. The people of Sri Lanka have a fundamental right to live free from fear of violence from those entrusted with their protection. The Constitution guarantees them this right, and the BASL will not tolerate its erosion.”
