Army-evicted protesters at Galle cricket match file FR

• Petitioners allege rights violated by Army personnel who forcibly removed placard
•  Seek Rs. 5 m in compensation

A Fundamental Rights petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking redress for the violation of the rights by Police and Army personnel who broke up a peaceful protest at the Galle Fort during the Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia, and forcibly removed the protest placards.

The FR application was filed by two lawyers Amara Diwakara Liyanarachchi and Hewage Ajith Kumara.

The respondents in the case are Commanding Officer of Galle Fort Army Camp, the Army Commander, the Inspector General of Police, Galle Police Headquarters IP, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Galle District, the Inspector General of Police, Public Security Minister Tiran Alas and the Secretary of the Ministry and the Attorney General.

The petitioners point out that on the 30 June they engaged in a peaceful protest by displaying placards in protest against the President and the actions of the current Government, and that the Army personnel entered the premises and forcibly removed their protest placards.

The Petitioners reiterated that they have conducted the protest peacefully as an exercise of their freedom of expression guaranteed to them by the provisions of the Constitution and the State including that the Army and the Police had no right to prevent them from exercising their said freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

They alleged they were verbally assaulted and threatened by officers of the Sri Lanka Army in the presence of the Police officers, and thus the said conduct of the said officers amount to an infringement of the freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as guaranteed to them by Article 11 of the Constitution.

They stated that the use of Army personnel to disrupt peaceful protests protected by the law is an infringement of the right to equality and the equal protection of the law as guaranteed by Article 12 (1) of the Constitution.

The Petitioners are seeking interim orders to disclose to the court the names and addresses of the personnel of the Sri Lanka Army who are revealed in the videos attached with the Petition, in order to enable the Petitioners to add the said personnel as Respondents.

The Petitioners stated that their Fundamental Rights as guaranteed by Article 11, Article 12 (1), Article 14 (1)(a), Article 14 (1)(b) and Article 14 (1)(h) of the Constitution have been infringed by any one or more or all of the Respondents and award the Petitioners compensation in the sum of Rs. 5 million payable by one or more or all of the Respondents.