For families of victims, justice is often the only source of solace. In the aftermath of losing their loved ones under horrific circumstances, many, as we have seen in Sri Lanka, have relentlessly pursued justice, refusing to let their pain go unheard. This week, two family members of victims, both allegedly killed by state agencies, took a bold step by sending open letters to officials they feel have failed to support their efforts. They urged them to stand up for their cause and deliver the justice they deserve.
In one case, the daughter of a prominent journalist wrote to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), criticising the organisation for not standing up for her father, who had been a lifetime member.
In another, the wife of a victim questioned the Government, asking why it was not prioritising her husband’s death with the same urgency given to the assassination of the renowned journalist.
On Friday, Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, wrote to outgoing BASL President Anura Maddegoda PC, expressing her disappointment with a letter sent by the BASL to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on February 7. In the letter, the BASL opposed the Government’s review of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe’s decision to release three suspects connected to her father’s killing.
Veiled threat
“I was deeply saddened to read your letter dated February 7, 2025, which issued a veiled threat to the President of Sri Lanka for his Government’s courageous efforts to defend the rights of crime victims and protect the integrity of our criminal justice system,” she stated.
Ahimsa reminded Maddegoda of an interview he gave to a local newspaper on October 11, 2024, in which he claimed that the BASL was “at the forefront” of standing up for human rights, specifically referencing the assassination of her father, Lasantha Wickrematunge.
“Most recently, the issue of one of the journalists Mr. Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009 or 2010. He was also a member of the Bar, so we were kind of, we had to look after, you know,” Maddegoda had said.
Ahimsa responded, “Indeed, my father was a lifetime member of the Bar Association until his life was tragically cut short in the most widely condemned State-sponsored assassination in Sri Lanka on January 8, 2009. He was a loving father, husband, son and uncle.
“His newspapers were read worldwide. Yet, despite all this, you have not uttered a single word about him or the need for justice, even sixteen years after he was bludgeoned to death while driving to work.”
Glaring double standard
Ahimsa Wickrematunge also pointed to what she viewed as a glaring double standard in the Bar Association’s approach to justice. “You represent the interests of the family of the late Mahesh Indika Prabath, who was killed on October 12, 2022, shortly after his arrest by the police Special Task Force (STF). The Balapitiya Magistrate ruled that your client was murdered and ordered a police investigation into the events, under Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court Case No. AR 2049/2022.”
She highlighted the parallels between her father’s case and that of Prabath. “In this matter, like my father’s investigation, despite a mountain of evidence, the Attorney General decided on August 27, 2024, not to pursue charges against the STF officer who allegedly executed your client in cold blood.”
Ahimsa further said how Maddegoda had responded to this case. “You personally protested this decision vigorously and publicly. Your client, the wife of the deceased, on your advice, wrote to the President on October 21, 2024, pleading for Government assistance to review the Attorney General’s decision, just as I wrote to the Government for the same reason.”
In both instances, Ahimsa pointed out, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had called for the Attorney General to explain his decision. “President Dissanayake in this case too, called for the Attorney General to explain his decision,” she said, underlining the inconsistency in the BASL’s advocacy for justice across cases.
BASL’s inconsistent stance
Ahimsa Wickrematunge raised further concerns about the BASL’s inconsistent stance on justice. “Why is it that when the Attorney General sabotaged a murder investigation into one of your clients, you called it ‘obstruction of justice’, sought executive review, and the Bar Association kept silent when you received it?” she asked, challenging the apparent discrepancy in how similar situations were handled.
“Why is it that when that same Attorney General sought to intervene in and unravel the investigation into one of the most critical limbs of my father’s murder investigation and I sought executive support to save the investigations, that you and the Bar Association suddenly sprint into action in his defence?”
She argued that if the BASL truly cared about upholding the integrity of the justice system, it could not ignore the larger pattern of misconduct. “If your interest or that of the BASL is indeed in protecting the integrity of the justice system and the rule of law, you must address the elephant in the room,” she stated. “Under this Attorney General, a pattern has emerged of abusing the office and effectively sabotaging or terminating criminal proceedings into state-sponsored killings.”
Ahimsa also responded to the BASL’s defence of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe. “Your letter to the President, in defence of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, emphasises that the power to decide whether or not to prosecute is entirely up to the Attorney General and that this power should not be subject to political interference,” she said. “Let me make myself perfectly clear: I agree.” she said.
However, Ahimsa clarified that her family was not calling for the prosecution of specific individuals. “My family is not calling for the indictment of any particular individual, including those whom Mr. Parinda Ranasinghe seeks to discharge,” she explained. “We have never demanded anything more than a thorough, impartial criminal investigation into my father’s murder, and for their findings to be impartially reviewed by a prosecutor, who would bring the accused before a court of law to decide on their guilt or innocence.”
She concluded by urging the BASL to take a firm stand. “I strongly urge the BASL to accept the gravity of this situation, stand on the side of justice,” she said. “This is not just about my father. This is about the victims of Mahara, about your murdered client, and about all of the other victims” she said.
As Wickrematunge’s case became a highly debated and prominent topic over the past two weeks, the wife of Mahesh Indika Prabath, whom Maddegoda represented and who was mentioned by Ahimsa in her letter, also issued an open letter to President Dissanayake calling for justice.
Mahesh Indika Prabath, a resident of Thanamalwila, was arrested by the Police Special Task Force (STF) on October 12, 2022, after being suspected of involvement in an attempted assassination in Ahungalla. During his arrest, he was brutally shot dead in an alleged search for hidden weapons.
Later, the Balapitiya Magistrate had ruled that the killing was not an act of self-defence by the STF but an intentional killing and ordered the police to immediately arrest and produce the police inspector involved.
Perceived injustice
In her most recent open letter, sent on Friday and copied to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, and the Attorney General, Wathsala passionately called on the authorities to address the perceived injustice in her husband’s case, which she believes was unjustly dismissed by the Attorney General.
She reiterated her demand for justice, not only for Lasantha Wickrematunge but also for her late husband, Mahesh Indika Prabath. The letter was also forwarded to SSP Shani Abeysekara, the Director of the Central Crimes Division, and to Maddegoda, the current President of the BASL.
Upholding the rights of all citizens
Wathsala stressed the importance of upholding the rights of all Sri Lankan citizens, as guaranteed by the Constitution, and implored that her family’s rights, like those of Wickrematunge, be respected and not overlooked.
Wathsala raised concerns over the Government’s strong reaction to the Attorney General’s decision to release the suspects in the Wickrematunge case, contrasting it with the lack of response to a similar decision in her husband’s case. She questioned whether her husband’s life holds equal value to that of Lasantha Wickrematunge, suggesting that she has been treated differently in seeking justice.
In response to a letter she sent in October, she claimed the Presidential Secretariat had said that it could not advise the Attorney General or the courts on how to act.
Despite the absence of any direct proof, Wathsala also claimed the Government had intervened in the Wickrematunge case, creating an impression that it was following a different approach when it came to her husband’s killing.
Wathsala called on the President to take steps without bias to ensure justice for all victims of Government security forces, including the inmates killed in the Mahara Prison, others and her husband, Mahesh Indika Prabath.
