A fundamental rights violation case filed by writer Shathika Sathkumara will be taken up for hearing tomorrow (26).
He is the first Sri Lankan to get arrested under the ACCPR, over charges that his short story ‘Ardha’ is derogatory and defamatory of Buddhism.
His FR petition cites the OIC of Polgahawela police, former IGP and the attorney general as respondents.
The ICCPR Act (of Sri Lanka), which was ratified in 2007, seeks to give effect to certain articles in the ICCPR (as adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966 and acceded to by Sri Lanka in 1980).
Sathkumara was arrested for violating the Subsection (1) of Section 3 of the Act which states: “No person shall propagate war or advocate national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”
He was taken into custody by Polgahawela police on 01 April 2019 and kept in detention for 130 days.
The case against him was heard at the Polgahawela magistrate’s court, which acquitted him of all charges on 09 February 2021.
