Former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra, a vocal member of Sri Lanka’s Opposition Party Samagi Jana Balawegaya, has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for her involvement in the abduction and assault of a youth.
The sentencing was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja on Friday 28th June. Premachandra was found guilty of 18 charges, and the court ordered a fine of Rs. 20,000 for each charge.
Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja declared in open court that the defendant was found guilty of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the abduction of a youth.
Premachandra stands accused of involvement in abducting, assaulting, and wrongfully detaining a youth, identified as Amila Priyanka Amarasinghe, who at the time of the incident was employed at a textile shop in the Dematagoda in Colombo. The youth revealed that while he was employed at the shop, he began an extramarital affair with one of his customers.
It was after this incident that he was abducted by individuals who had arrived in a Defender, Amarasinghe had told the court. The Deputy Solicitor General in court highlighted the seriousness of the matter, pointing out that Premachadnran had abused her powers as a Member of Parliament to abduct a citizen in an attempt to resolve a domestic dispute. He emphasised that such an abuse of power and authority could not be taken lightly.
In 2017, seven persons identified as supporters of Premachandra pleaded guilty before the court, however, Premachandran did not plead guilty to any of the charges held against her.
Before the sentencing, Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, who represented the plaintiff, recalled that the Colombo High Court had previously handed suspended prison sentences and imposed fines on eight supporters of the defendant who pleaded guilty before the court in connection with the abduction incident.
President’s Counsel Anura Maddegoda, who appeared for the defendant Hirunika Premachandra, informed the court that the defendant would file an appeal against this decision. Premachandran maintained that one of the accused, who had pleaded guilty before the court, had seized her Defender without her consent and used it to abduct the victim.
Premachandran is currently in the Magazine prison of Welikada. She is the daughter of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra who was shot dead in Weliweriya, his death having paved the way for her entry into Sri Lankan politics.
