by Our Correspondent in Colombo
The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) delegation that visited Sri Lanka last week conducted confidential interviews with detainees held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), including several high-profile suspects, as part of its assessment of the country’s progress in preventing torture and ill-treatment in places of detention.
The four-member SPT delegation, which arrived in Sri Lanka on June 15 for a nine-day mission, is expected to present its confidential preliminary observations to the Sri Lankan Government and the country’s national preventive mechanism before concluding its visit. The delegation will subsequently prepare a confidential report containing its findings and recommendations, which will remain confidential unless the Sri Lankan authorities request its publication.
The visit is being conducted under the mandate of the SPT established through the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), to which Sri Lanka acceded in 2017.
During the mission, the delegation visited several detention facilities, including the CID premises, where members held lengthy one-to-one discussions with detainees, according to sources familiar with the visit.
Among those interviewed were Iniya Bharathi, a prominent political figure from the Eastern Province and former member of the Eastern Provincial Council, and Koralahage Pindinu Padmasiri Perera, better known as “Kehelbaddara Padme,” a convicted underworld figure and alleged drug trafficker.
Sources said that during the CID visit, SPT officials requested CID officers to leave the relevant area on the sixth floor before conducting private interviews with detainees. The move was made to ensure that detainees could provide confidential testimonies without the presence of law enforcement personnel, in line with the SPT’s standard procedures during detention inspections.
Individuals familiar with the testimonies said several detainees described alleged instances of severe and inhumane treatment during their detention at the CID. The allegations included claims of mistreatment allegedly carried out by CID personnel. The details of the testimonies have not been made public, and the SPT is expected to examine such claims as part of its confidential assessment.
The delegation also inspected detention facilities used by the CID, including the cell where former State Intelligence Service Director Major General Suresh Sallay was previously held, according to sources. Sallay continues his hunger strike and is currently receiving treatment at the Colombo General Hospital.
The SPT’s visit comes seven years after its previous mission to Sri Lanka in 2019. Since that visit, Sri Lanka has designated its national preventive mechanism, a key requirement under OPCAT for preventing torture through independent monitoring of detention facilities.
“The Government of Sri Lanka has designated its national preventive mechanism, which is an important step in torture prevention,” SPT delegation head Aisha Shujune Muhammad said ahead of the visit, adding that the mission would assess the functioning of the mechanism and the implementation of recommendations made after the previous visit.
The delegation has also met senior government officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, senior officials of the Prison Department, and other stakeholders.
The SPT has the authority to conduct visits, including unannounced inspections, to places where individuals may be deprived of liberty. During such missions, it meets government representatives, members of the national preventive mechanism, civil society organisations, detainees, and other relevant actors.
The delegation comprises Aisha Shujune Muhammad (Maldives), Jakub Julian Czepek (Poland), Nika Kvaratskhelia (Georgia), Anica Tomsic (Croatia), and two human rights officers from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The confidential observations and subsequent report are expected to provide the Sri Lankan authorities with recommendations on strengthening safeguards against torture and improving protections for people held in detention.
