Investigations have commenced into the complaint filed by Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara and Gamini Viyangoda to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) claiming that they have received death threats.
Prof Chandragupta Thenuwara and Gamini Viyangoda complain that they have been threatened following the Court of Appeal ruling to dismiss a petition filed by them challenging former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s Sri Lankan citizenship.
They say they have lodged a complaint in this manner to protect themselves as hate speech and threats on social media are increasing against them.
With the dismissal of the petition by the Court of Appeal on Friday (October 4), death threats aimed at the two activists started to appear in social media, they claimed.
The wave of hate speech began with Gotabhaya supporters in the court room erupting in applause when the three-member Court of Appeal bench unanimously rejected their petition.
Referring to the unethical behavior in a court room, Chairman of the three-member bench, Judge Yasantha Kodagoda said that if any lawyer is found to be involved, action will be taken against them.
However, the wave of social media posts targeting Professor Chandragupta Thenuwara and journalist Gamini Viyangoda has grown to death threats calling for “white vans to take them” referring to Rajapaksa era abductions and disappearances. Some posts in Facebook suggested that the petitioners should not be killed but their limbs should be broken for them to suffer lifetime.
Some others suggested that they should be taken by black vans if white vans not available to dispose them.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
