'Rata Next' protests against Binoy’s arrest

The 'Rata Next' organisation expressed its strong protest against the arrest of Binoy Hettiarchchi without any clear reason during an operation to arrest former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private secretary, Sugishwara Bandara, in Kollupitiya.

Issuing a statement, the 'Rata Next' organisation noted that the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau arrested Sugishwara Bandara on June 18 based on a court order. However, Binoy Hettiarchchi, a media coordinator for the joint opposition who accompanied him at the time, was taken to the Narahenpita area and had his statement recorded for over three hours.

The statement further mentioned that since Binoy Hettiarchchi manages media activities for the joint opposition operating under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, a reasonable suspicion emerged within society as to whether this action is political revenge.

The organisation also pointed out a concern regarding whether the fundamental human rights guaranteed under Article 13(1) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka faced violation during this process.

In this regard, the 'Rata Next' organisation requested the relevant authorities to immediately initiate an independent and impartial investigation into the matter.