LfD condemns the Physical attack on the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission.

Monday, 08 October 2012

The Lawyers for Democracy learns with horror and dismay about the cowardly and brutal physical attack on Mr. Manjula Tilakaratne, the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission on Sunday the 7th of October. It is the considered view of the LfD that this attack had been carried out by agents of State at behest of the highest authorities in the executive. The LfD considers this not as an attack personally on the Secretary of the JSC but an attack on the Judicial Service Commission in particular and on the Judiciary and its Independence in general and also a grave violation of the Constitution which everyone from the head of State down to the ordinary citizen is bound to protect and uphold.

The LfD condemns this dastardly act in the strongest of terms and calls upon the law enforcement authorities to bring the perpetrators of this crime before justice without any delay. In conclusion the LfD warns the authors of this attack that, the perpetuation of acts of this nature are not nipped in the bud, the hallowed principles of the rule of law and independence of the judiciary which are the bedrock of democratic government in Sri Lanka will be destroyed and the authors of these unconstitutional and criminal acts will be responsible for the resulting lawlessness and authoritarianism in this Island nation.

Lawyers for Democaracy (LfD)