Another Travesty of Justice
by M.K. Eelaventhan, December 27, 2016
The recent acquittal of six accused in the political murder trial of late MP Raviraj is not surprising. It is yet another expected verdict from the Sri Lankan judiciary.
It would have been a real surprise if the accused were convicted, as in the Sri Lankan Judicial system convicting Government officials, particularly Security Personnel, is next to impossible due to the culture of impunity ingrained in the Sri Lankan Judicial dispensation of justice.
The President’s open condemnation of the Law Enforcement Officials for taking Mr. Gothabaya Rajapaksha and other top Navy Officers recently to the courts is an open blanket of impunity directive to anyone who dares to arrest Security Personnel or who even dares to charge or convict them.
This being the sorry state of affairs of the Judiciary, there is no other alternatives left except an international investigation into the exposed war crimes and crimes against humanity, etc. committed by the Security Forces during the 2006 to 2009 war. This is the only way to ensure accountability and justice to the victimized Tamils.
In 2006 when I was an MP, Mr. Rajapaksha, the then Prime Minister promised me during a conversation in the Parliament “Eelaventhan don’t worry the Scotland Yard is coming and they will deal with the case on Mr. Raviraj and not to worry about it.” This is one of the typical promises given by the Sri Lankan Governments, which are only meant for instant satisfaction and never intended for fulfillment.