SLPP alleges misuse of law to suppress opposition

Current government leaders are exerting heavy and direct influence on law enforcement agencies in a manner never seen under any previous president or head of state.

Sagara Kariyawasam, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and former Member of Parliament, made these remarks during a press conference at the party headquarters today (17).

Sri Lanka is a democratic country where individual liberty and the right to hold political opinions or practice religion are protected, and no one has the right to strip citizens of these freedoms.

While institutions like the Police, Attorney General’s Department, Bribery Commission, and the Judiciary exist to protect the law, the current administration is interfering with them in an unprecedented and harmful way.

The Inspector General of Police is acting according to the government's wishes, and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is being controlled by a retired officer who was a political partisan, used to suppress opposition voices.

Charges were levelled against the Director General of the Bribery Commission regarding direct links to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), yet no legal action was taken, while claims suggest he is pressuring witnesses to give statements against opposition leaders.

Retired officers loyal to the government were appointed to the Ministry of Justice, and in the Prison Department, the former Commissioner General, Thushara Upuldeniya—described as a disciplined and non-partisan officer—was unfairly removed and replaced by a loyalist.

The Human Rights Commission recently ruled that the treatment of Thushara Upuldeniya was illegal and biased, which is a dangerous precedent when the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice is found to be intentionally violating the legal rights of an individual.

Although Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) was a former child soldier who later assisted the military in ending the 30-year war, he is being targeted.

It is alleged the President made a statement in April 2025 about catching Easter Sunday attack masterminds to deceive the Cardinal, leading to the arrest of Pillayan.

Pillayan has been held for nearly a year under detention orders signed by the President using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), but court reports indicate he has no connection to the Easter attacks, and the charge instead involves a 19-year-old case regarding a missing Vice Chancellor.

Pillayan is currently being held at the Welisara Naval Base instead of a standard remand prison, which is viewed as an act of political revenge.

For the first time in Sri Lankan history, the law is being openly misused to suppress dissent, leading to a decline in the democratic rights and freedoms of the people.