Policing the Police

A complaint was lodged with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on Thursday over a Facebook post published on the official page of the Sri Lanka Police, which warns the public of the danger of speaking out of line or rather, opening one’s mouth.

The post, titled “Think twice before you open your mouth,” with a photo of a dead fish hanging onto the hook line says that the “words you use in anger today could turn into evidence against you tomorrow.”

The post should alarm bells and the representatives of  the Youth for Change Organisation must be lauded for taking the matter up with the HRCSL.

There will be those who are aligned with the Government who will dismiss this kind of thing lightly, but what the Police is telling the public is to stop expressing themselves, which is a fundamental right they enjoy.

In the State of Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, there was the infamous Savak or the National Organisation for Intelligence and Security, a secret Police and intelligence agency, which had its personnel eavesdropping on the public.

They were Savak agents at bus stops, for example, eavesdropping on people, who were engaging in carefree banter, while awaiting the bus.  The people of Iran  had over the years under  the Shah learnt that certain words such as oppression, darkness, burden etc. were to be avoided to escape being dragged away by the Savak and being tortured or even put to death.

Are the Sri Lanka Police going the way of the  Savak by telling people to watch their words? The post tells the public to think twice before they speak, which is generally a good dictum to live by in life, but when you have a law enforcement agency telling you to mind your words, there is something seriously wrong with the system.

Under the Constitution, every citizen is guaranteed the freedom of speech and expression, including publication with  few exceptions such as on matters of national security, or on matters that could cause ethnic/religious harmony etc. But these exceptions apply only to a fraction of people, while the freedom to criticise and question those in power, be it politicians or State institutions, is a right of every citizen. The Sri Lanka Police function with public funding and its job is to serve the public instead of trying to intimidate the public by putting up such posts.

At a time when the Government is attempting to enact a new law called the Organised Crime Act, which leaves room for more abuse by the Police, it is important to hold the Police to account.

Recently, the Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunaratne referred a case file to the President of the Court of Appeal (CoA) to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for contempt of court.

This was after the Magistrate found fault with the IGP for disregarding a specific directive issued several months ago, to issue a circular prohibiting law enforcement authorities from filing cases on false charges.

From what transpired in the case in Court, it was evident that the Police were trying to frame some innocent people in a case, but the Magistrate called their bluff.

Take the case of the recent arrest of five members of a family in connection with the shooting of iconic tusker Kavantissa. They have denied the  allegations, and said the Police forced the suspects to confess they killed the elephant.

On top of all this, the Police now want the public to keep their mouths shut and refrain from expressing their views. This is a dangerous move, and the public should stand up against such oppressive moves, whichever quarters  they may come from.