BASL calls for dismissal of Tiran over controversial statement 

• Denounces statement by Minister Tiran Alles urging police to use their weapons without fear
• Says statement is in direct contradiction to fundamental principles and established procedure
• Stresses Minister’s statement perpetuates dangerous misconception that justice, sentencing, and punishment lie beyond judiciary’s purview
• Demands Alles retract his statement calling it irresponsible, arbitrary, and misleading

The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe to reassign the portfolio of Public Security in light of a recent concerning statement made by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles. 

At a council meeting held over the weekend, the BASL denounced the statement by the Minister urging law enforcement officials to use their weapons to do “the right thing” as he pledged to stand by them thereafter. 

The Minister made the statement at the recently held passing out parade at the Special Task Force Training School in Katukurunda. 

“Eliminating criminals from the country is not a sin. Don’t be afraid to use the weapon in your hand for the right thing, and we stand by you,” he had said at the time. 

The BASL said it is gravely concerned about the statement as it is in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution and the established procedures governing the criminal justice system. 

“The dispensation of justice, including the imposition of penalties upon wrongdoers, is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the courts as mandated by the Constitution. Such actions must adhere strictly to due process, including thorough investigations and fair trials conducted in accordance with the law,” the BASL said in a statement. 

The organisation said given the alarming increase in extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, and incidents of torture perpetrated by law enforcement in recent times, the Minister’s statement perpetuates a dangerous misconception that justice, sentencing, and punishment lie beyond the purview of the judiciary and can be administered arbitrarily, without adherence to due process.

The BASL also called on Minister Tiran Alles to retract his statement and labelled it “irresponsible, arbitrary, and misleading”. 

It also urged the President to remove Minister Tiran Alles from the portfolio of Public Security as he appears to have a disregard for the rule of law and demonstrates that he is no longer suitable to hold that office.