Wimal Weerawansa surrenders in court

By T. Farook Thajudeen

Former Minister and NPP leader Wimal Weerawansa on whom the court had issued a warrant for his arrest surrendered in court yesterday. The counsel who surrendered Wimal Weerawansa submitted that his client was not present in court yesterday due his client’s illness.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis on considering the submissions of the counsel recalled the warrant that was issued for the arrest of the suspect and ordered the suspect to appear before court on 19 June 2023. NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa and six other party activists were charged in the Colombo Magistrate Court by Cinnamon Garden Police for allegedly providing leadership to a protest carried out on 6 February 2016, against the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zaid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

The protesters had blocked the main roads at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, causing disturbance to the public and for the normal  flow of traffic.

Cinnamon Garden Police had arrested six suspects including NFF leader and Colombo District MP Wimal Weerawansa, Jayantha Samaraweera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Wijenayake, Roger Seneviratne, Mohammed Muzammil and Don Lucian and Chaminda Jayalal as suspects in this case.

Cinnamon Gardens Police had complained to court that the organisers of the protest had failed to obtain prior permission from police to hold the march. They further alleged that the organisers had also used loudspeakers without a valid license. Police had further submitted to court that the suspects provided leadership to a protest which blocked Bauddhaloka Mawatha towards Havelock Town, causing disturbance to the people and disrupting the normal flow of traffic