SRI LANKA: G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera being

beaten up and tortured at this moment at the

Panadura Polie Station
May 12, 2014
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr.
G Piyal Sanee!a Perera a "# year old man and a father of t!o children is $eing
$eaten u% at the Pandura Police Station at this very moment. &e are !riting to
urge you to act to intervene to sto% the torture and either to have this %erson
released or to have him %roduced $efore a Magistrate.
CAS' (ARRAT)*'+
Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera is a resident of Sarasi Patumaga, Dibbedda Road, turu
!"al#itiya, $adduwa, Sri %an&a.
!"ree Poli'e (ffi'ers "ad arri)ed at "is "ome at around * #.m. yesterday on t"e 11
May 2014. (n t"e 12t" May 2014 w"i'" is today, at around noon, "e "ad been ta&en
to an ##er +loor of t"e Pandura Poli'e Station, to t"e ,rimes- .ran'", and a''ording
to information we "a)e re'ei)ed, "e is being se)erely tortured e)en at t"is moment.
/t a##ears t"at "e "as been arrested on sus#i'ion for #etty t"eft, w"i'" "as ta&en
#la'e at a neig"bor-s "ouse. !"e t"eft is su##osed to "a)e ta&en #la'e between 12
#.m. to 2 #.m. on t"e 0t" of May 2014. 1t t"is #arti'ular time, "e and "is wife "ad been
at t"e 2et"umat"ie $omen-s 3os#ital.
1''ording to t"e family members, "e "as been arrested wit"out any reason and due to
t"e #ressure of some #owerful #erson4s in t"e area.
!"e 1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission "as urged t"e 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission of Sri
%an&a5
1. !o immediately inter)ene and sto# t"e torture of t"is #erson5
2. !o "a)e t"is #erson released or #rodu'ed before a magistrate5 and
*. !o ta&e a##ro#riate a'tions to in)estigate t"is in'ident of torture by t"e Panadura
Poli'e.
!"e 1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission "as obser)ed t"at t"ere are regular 'om#laints
regarding t"e Panadura #oli'e of routinely torturing #ersons.
$e reiterate t"e fa't t"at no aut"ority "as a rig"t to torture any #erson for w"atsoe)er
reason and "o#e t"at t"e 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission of Sri %an&a and t"e aut"orities
'on'erned will ta&e a##ro#riate a'tion wit" immediate effe't.
+urt"er, Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera-s wife, is
also an6ious t"at due to ma&ing of t"is 'om#laint
"er "usband may be im#li'ated in some ot"er
offen'e w"i'" "e "as ne)er engaged in sin'e it
is 'ustomary for t"e #oli'e to fabri'ate su'"
a''usations.
!"e 1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission "as
obser)ed t"at t"ere are regular 'om#laints
regarding t"e Panadura #oli'e of routinely
torturing #ersons. /t is not ne'essary for us to remind t"at no aut"ority "as a rig"t to
torture any #erson for w"atsoe)er reason.
Please send a letter to t"e aut"orities listed below e6#ressing your 'on'ern about t"is
'ase and re7uesting an immediate in)estigation into t"e allegations of illegal arrest,
illegal detention, torturing by t"e #oli'e #er#etrators, and t"e #rose'ution of t"ose
#ro)en to be res#onsible under t"e 'riminal law of t"e 'ountry for misusing #owers of
a state. !"e offi'ers in)ol)ed must also be subje'ted to internal in)estigations for t"e
brea'" of t"e de#artment orders as issued by t"e #oli'e de#artment. +urt"er, #lease
also re7uest t"e 8P, and t"e /GP to "a)e a s#e'ial in)estigation into t"e mal#ra'ti'es
of t"e #oli'e offi'ers for abusing t"e state offi'ers9 #owers.
Please note t"at t"e 13R, "as also written a se#arate letter to t"e ,"airman of t"e
1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission and t"e S#e'ial Ra##orteur on torture and ot"er
'ruel, in"uman or degrading treatment or #unis"ment on t"is regard.
A,,)T)-(A. C-MM'(TS+
!"e 1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission "as re#orted innumerable 'ases of torturing
inno'ent by t"e Sri %an&an #oli'e w"i'" are illegal under international and lo'al law
w"i'" "a)e ta&en #la'e at different Poli'e Station in t"e 'ountry o)er t"e #ast few
years.
!"e State of Sri %an&a sign and ratified t"e ,1! on * :anuary 1004. +ollowing state
obligations Sri %an&a ado#ted 1't number 22 of 1004 t"e law ado#ted by t"e Sri
%an&an #arliament ma&ing torture a 'rime t"at 'an be #unis"able for minimum se)en
years and not less t"an ten years on being #ro)en guilty. !"e 1ttorney General of Sri
%an&a is su##ose to file indi'tments in t"e 'ase w"ere 'redible e)iden'e were found
on torturing #eo#le by state offi'ers.
S/GG'ST', ACT)-(+
Please write to t"e go)ernmental aut"orities of Sri %an&a so t"at t"ey immediately ta&e
effe'ti)e a'tion for sto##ing t"e ongoing torture on Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera, w"o
is under t"e 'ustody of t"e Panadura #oli'e in Sri %an&a. Please also urge t"e Sri
%an&an aut"orities to release Mr. Perera immediately. 3e must be afforded wit"
ade7uate medi'al treatment for w"i'" t"e go)ernment s"ould bear t"e e6#enses. !"e
alleged #er#etrators s"ould be indentified in a 'redible in)estigation t"at s"ould lead
towards #rose'ution of t"e 1't 8o. 22 of 1004.
Please note t"at t"e 1sian 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission "as written a se#arate letter to
t"e 8 S#e'ial Ra##orteur on !orture and (t"er ,ruel, /n"uman or Degrading
Punis"ment and !reatment re7uesting "is urgent inter)ention in t"is 'ase.
!o su##ort t"is a##eal, #lease 'li'& "ere;
SAMP.' .'TT'R+
Dear <<<<<<,
SR) .A(0A+ Save G Piyal Sanee!a Perera from torture in Panadura Police
Station
(ame of victim+ Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera
Alleged %er%etrators+ Panadura Poli'e
,ate of incident+ 11 May 201*
Place of incident+ Pandura #oli'e station
/ am writing to )oi'e my dee# 'on'ern regarding Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera a *0
year old man and a fat"er of two '"ildren being beaten u# at t"e Pandura Poli'e
Station. $e are writing to urge you to a't to inter)ene to sto# t"e torture and eit"er to
"a)e t"is #erson released or to "a)e "im #rodu'ed before a Magistrate.
Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera is a resident of Sarasi Patumaga, Dibbedda Road, turu
!"al#itiya, $adduwa, Sri %an&a. !"ree Poli'e (ffi'ers "ad arri)ed at "is "ome at
around * #.m. yesterday on t"e 11 May 2014. (n t"e 12t" May 2014 w"i'" is today, at
around noon, "e "ad been ta&en to an ##er +loor of t"e Pandura Poli'e Station, to
t"e ,rimes- .ran'", and a''ording to information we "a)e re'ei)ed, "e is being
se)erely tortured e)en at t"is moment.
/t a##ears t"at "e "as been arrested on sus#i'ion for #etty t"eft w"i'", "as ta&en
#la'e at a neig"bor-s "ouse. !"e t"eft is su##osed to "a)e ta&en #la'e between 12
#.m. to 2 #.m. on t"e 0t" of May 2014. 1t t"is #arti'ular time, "e and "is wife "ad been
at t"e 2et"umat"ie $omen-s 3os#ital.
1''ording to t"e family members, "e "as been arrested wit"out any reason and due to
t"e #ressure of some #owerful #erson4s in t"e area.
!"erefore we urge you5
1. !o immediately inter)ene and sto# t"e torture of t"is #erson5
2. !o "a)e t"is #erson released or #rodu'ed before a magistrate5 and
*. !o ta&e a##ro#riate a'tions to in)estigate t"is in'ident of torture by t"e Panadura
Poli'e.
+urt"er, Mr. G Piyal Sanjeewa Perera-s wife, is also an6ious t"at due to ma&ing of t"is
'om#laint "er "usband may be im#li'ated in some ot"er offen'e w"i'" "e "as ne)er
engaged in sin'e it is 'ustomary for t"e #oli'e to fabri'ate su'" a''usations.
=ours sin'erely,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
P.'AS' S'(, 1-/R .'TT'RS T-+
1. Mr. 8 2 /llanga&oon
/ns#e'tor General of Poli'e
8ew Se'retariat
,olombo 1
SR/ %1821
+a6; ?04 11 2 440440 4 *2@A@@
B>mail; ig#C#oli'e.l&
2. Ms. B)a $anasundara
1ttorney General
1ttorney General9s De#artment
,olombo 12
SR/ %1821
+a6; ?04 11 2 4*D421
B>mail; agCattorneygeneral.go).l&
*. Se'retary
8ational Poli'e ,ommission
*rd +loor, Rotunda !owers
100 Galle Road
,olombo 0*
SR/ %1821
!el; ?04 11 2 *0E*10
+a6; ?04 11 2 *0EAD@
B>mail; n#'genCsltnet.l& or #ol'omCsltnet.l&
4. Se'retary
Sri %an&a 3uman Rig"ts ,ommission
8o. 10A
.arnes Pla'e
,olombo 0@
SR/ %1821
!el; ?0411 2D0402E, ?0411 2DAE0A0, ?0411 2DAE0A1
+a6; ?0411 2D04024 FGeneralG ?04112D0D4@0 F,"airmanG
B>mail; se'"r'Csltnet.l&
!"an& you.