The Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, said the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police were not there to serve the needs of politicians but to serve the people, the society and protect the rule of law. He added that they should be ashamed for not fulfilling that responsibility. He said he expects to seek the assistance of the courts in the future for civil rights and public safety.
The Cardinal made this statement at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday (15th).
The Archbishop said that the Attorney General was not a political puppet but a public servant and urged the people to identify the conspiratorial activities of the government and take appropriate action at the proper time.
Commenting on the arrest of Shehan Malaka Gamage on the road, the Cardinal said, \u201cThe youth Shehan Malaka was forcibly picked up by a group in a white van on the road. If he had not confirmed it to this country through a live video, we would still not know where Shehan Malaka is. They come in police uniforms and carry out such acts. The incident has taken place as an abduction without any prior notice to the accused. I interpret this as an immoral, brutal act that is totally unsuitable for a democratic society. We therefore strongly condemn this act. I think this incident is a violation of the human rights of the youth Shehan Malaka. We have a question as to whether the government has a brain to carry out such harmful acts against people when it has to explain matters to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, with the hope for relief. In a democratic country, freedom of speech and expression is a human right. We seek the assistance of the judiciary to protect that right. We condemn, with contempt, this attempt to silence and suppress those who call for justice for the victims of the Easter attacks while the conspirators of the crime are at large.
We do not expect the Attorney General to act in this manner. He is a public servant and not a pawn of politicians. We see that the Attorney General, who has failed to implement the recommendations of the Easter Commission report, is working to arrest those who demand justice for the victims of the Easter attacks. I would like to remind the Attorney General that he has no such right. The Attorney General and the IGP are not there to satisfy the needs of those in the political world. They are there to serve the people of the society. They are there to protect the rule of law. If they do not do it we cannot say anything about it. I urge the people to recognize the conspiratorial activities of the government and take appropriate action at the appropriate time.\u201d<\/p>\n