A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Ex-leader's brother 'led death squad' in Sri Lanka
Court hears police report implicating Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in operating a secret unit involved in silencing critics.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was the defence secretary during his brother's rule [File: Reuters]
Mar 20, 2017
A police report has implicated the brother of a former Sri Lankan
president saying he directed a top secret death squad that targeted
journalists and dissidents.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told the Mount Lavinia
magistrate's court on Monday that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa - who was defence
minister during the rule of his brother, Mahinda - led a unit that is
accused of assassinating former Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.
WATCH: Sri Lanka exhumes body of journalist (2:47)
"Testimony from the former army commander [Sarath Fonseka] shows that
there was a special secret unit outside his authority and controlled by
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa through the then-chief of national intelligence
Kapila Hendawitharana," said the CID report, which was read out in
court.
"This unit was operated outside the army command structure and was used to target journalists and other dissidents."
Fonseka - who led Sri Lanka's successful military campaign against Tamil rebels in 2009 - fell out of grace after he unsuccessfully challenged Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2010 elections.
Wickrematunge's killing, which sparked an international outcry, drew attention to violence against Sri Lanka's media during Rajapaksa's tenure that ended in 2015 when he lost elections to an opposition alliance.
In
a written report to the court, CID said a new autopsy revealed that
Wickrematunge had been stabbed to death and not shot as previously
recorded in the original death certificate.
Wickrematunge's
body was exhumed in September for a new forensic test after allegations
that the original autopsy report had been falsified to deliberately
mislead investigators.
The Mount Lavinia Court ordered police to carry out further investigations and arrest any suspects involved.
Speaking to AFP news agency after Monday's court hearing, a senior
police officer said authorities were close to making more arrests over Wickrematunge's murder, after five military intelligence officers were detained last month.
"Now that the cause of death has been firmly established, we can proceed
with making further arrests," the officer said on condition of
anonymity.
Rajapaksa family
Wickrematunge had accused Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms
purchases, including a deal to buy used MiG jet fighters, and was set to
testify against him in court when he was killed.
Rajapaksa and several members of his family are under investigation for
large-scale fraud and murder during his 10 years as president, in which
17 journalists and media workers were killed.
All deny any wrongdoing and, in turn, accuse the new government of a political vendetta.
A retired army intelligence officer was found hanging at his home in
October with a note claiming responsibility for Wickrematunge's death.
But police have said they do not believe the claim and are treating the officer's death as a murder.