Four United Nations human rights mandate holders have warned the Sri Lankan government of an “immediate and grave” risk of further torture and ill-treatment facing former State Intelligence Service director general Suresh Sallay, whose health has deteriorated severely during detention over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. In an urgent communication dated 20 July 2026, the officials questioned the legality of his continued detention under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), raised concerns over alleged torture and restrictions on access to lawyers and family members, and called for measures to prevent irreparable harm. The communication is identified as Ref.: UA LKA 2/2026.
The letter was signed by Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Ganna Yudkivska, Vice-Chair on Communications of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. They stressed that their communication did not prejudge the accuracy of the allegations but said the information received raised serious concerns under international human rights law.
Sallay, a retired Major General and former Director General of the State Intelligence Service and Director of Military Intelligence, was arrested while travelling to his office on 25 February 2026 and detained at the Criminal Investigation Department in connection with investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. Three days later, the Ministry of Defence issued a 90-day detention order under the PTA, later extended for another 90 days. The order alleges that Sallay had prior knowledge of the attacks and deliberately failed to disclose the information, thereby conspiring in, aiding and abetting the crimes and concealing the identities of the perpetrators.
The UN officials questioned the basis and process of the detention. They noted that, when defence counsel approached the Fort Magistrate’s Court on 4 March, the court had not formally been notified of Sallay’s detention. A Criminal Investigation Department officer reportedly told the court that authorities were still considering under which case Sallay should be named a suspect. During approximately 103 days after his arrest, he was questioned only a limited number of times, including only twice for brief periods between April and June.
The communication also records allegations that the case against Sallay contains no evidence substantiating the accusations and that exculpatory evidence, including evidence that he was stationed abroad at the relevant time, was ignored. It further states that two officials currently involved in directing the investigation had been the subject of adverse findings and recommendations for prosecution by a Presidential Commission of Inquiry in 2024 concerning the Easter Sunday attacks. Allegations that officials were pursuing personal vendettas and attempting to tamper with evidence are attributed to the information received by the mandate holders and are not presented as established facts.
The conditions of detention form a central part of the UN concerns. Sallay was reportedly held incommunicado for periods, with family visits restricted and monitored and early meetings with lawyers conducted in the presence of Criminal Investigation Department officers who recorded the conversations. On 26 March, the Magistrate ordered that lawyer-client consultations take place without interference. Sallay was reportedly confined to a cell measuring about 6.5 feet by 4.4 feet, infested with rats and continuously illuminated, with severe sleep deprivation and migraines. He was also reportedly denied reading material relating to his case and prohibited from taking notes.
The communication describes an alleged incident several days after his arrest in which officers entered his cell, stripped him naked in the presence of officers and detainees, handcuffed him and subjected him to humiliating and degrading treatment. It says he was pressured to confess. His ability to disclose the incident was allegedly limited by the monitoring of meetings until the court ordered confidential consultations with lawyers.
His health subsequently deteriorated sharply. A court-ordered medical examination resulted in a report received by counsel on 20 May stating that Sallay was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and contained findings consistent with torture and ill-treatment. On 6 June he began a hunger strike, stopping food and water. He was admitted to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka the following day. On 27 June, after severe chest pain, he was transferred to the hospital’s Cardiac Coronary Care Unit and classified as a high-risk cardiac patient. Cardiologists reportedly told his family that surgical intervention and a cardiac implant might be necessary to preserve his life and that his condition made him unsuitable for detention. He ended his hunger strike on 1 July.
The UN officials also expressed concern over judicial and investigative procedures. On 1 July, the Magistrate directed that the investigation remain with the Criminal Investigation Department despite a defence request for transfer to an independent investigative authority. The Magistrate had earlier ordered medical and psychiatric examinations and warned that continued restrictions on access to lawyers could expose the Criminal Investigation Department director to contempt proceedings. The judge was subsequently transferred and replaced, which the communication described as reportedly unusual in the middle of a court session.
The mandate holders called on the government to explain the factual and legal basis for Sallay’s arrest and continued detention, the safeguards protecting confidential access to legal counsel, the investigation of torture allegations, and the measures being taken to protect him from retaliation if returned to Criminal Investigation Department custody. They also renewed their call for an immediate moratorium on the PTA, citing longstanding concerns that its broad definition of terrorism and detention powers can lead to arbitrary and prolonged deprivation of liberty.
The government was asked to respond within 60 days. The UN officials said the communication and any response would be made public through the communications reporting system and included in a subsequent report to the Human Rights Council. They urged interim measures to prevent “irreparable harm” to Sallay’s life and physical and mental integrity while the allegations are addressed.
