Gota's fear and Sale's detention room inspection

The travel ban imposed on former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sparked intense discussion and turmoil in society over the past few days. Along with this phenomenon, various rumors began to spread on social media that there was a preparation to arrest the former president in connection with the Easter Sunday bomb attack.

In light of this situation, the former president's lawyers have filed a writ petition before the Court of Appeal, requesting an order to prevent his arrest and detention. The petition names the Inspector General of Police, former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department Shani Abeysekara, its OIC Madhawa Gunawardena, and the Attorney General as respondents. The petitioner has pointed out that his personal freedom has been lost due to the imposed travel ban, and that this has created a risk of his arrest.

The former president emphasizes that he has no connection to the Easter attack and states that no statement has been taken from him regarding it to date. He also says that he does not know any of the witnesses or police officers who have given statements regarding the incident, nor does he know Asad Maulana of Channel 4. He states that Mr. Shani Abeysekara might be motivated by revenge against him, based on the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into Political Victimization appointed immediately after he assumed the presidency. He requests that the relevant commission reports be submitted to the court for investigation and that his arrest be prevented.

However, if the former president has no connection to the Easter attack, questions are raised in society as to why he would be so fearful. Especially with the imposition of the travel ban on him, Mr. Suresh Sale's decision to refuse food and the turmoil in the political sphere demanding his release and non-disclosure of passwords, suggest that there is some serious underlying situation. Although an arrest was made by Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, it is unlikely that the former president would be implicated in an investigation under the Code of Criminal Procedure as a political vendetta, but the involvement of Suresh Sale has created some apprehension.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission has also issued a statement regarding taking a statement from Mr. Suresh Sale, who is receiving treatment at the prison hospital. Mr. Nimal Punchihewa of the Commission states that he met Mr. Sale a week after his arrest, when he went to visit other detainees. Although allegations of sexual harassment and torture were made a few days after his arrest, he did not state before the Human Rights Commission on that day that such torture had occurred. Although false narratives were spread through some media outlets that he was subjected to severe pressure, the Commission has taken steps to submit recommendations regarding general issues of space and ventilation for detainees.

The Human Rights Commission is working to obtain statements from Mr. Suresh Sale, who is hospitalized, as well as from other suspects near him, which is a positive step that should be taken to protect the human rights of every suspect in the country. If he has experienced any sexual harassment or abuse, a full investigation and a report are justified, and this right should be common to all other suspects. However, since this issue concerning Suresh Sale escalated with the travel ban imposed on Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, future developments in this regard should be closely monitored.