Former Governor Azad Sally, who was remanded for eight months after being arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the ICCPR (ICCPR) Act, has been acquitted by the Colombo High Court.
Addressing a media briefing in Colombo on March 9, Azad Sally said, “Our law is for us, your law is for you, they are right and wrong. We have no law other than the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ’emergency’. Azad Sally was arrested on March 16 by the CID under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the United Nations Convention on Civil and Political Rights, claiming that the statement could lead to sectarian tensions.
Although the police stated that Azath Salley was arrested on the basis of the above statement, Deputy Solicitor General Dileep Peiris later told the court that investigations were underway regarding the delay in arresting the suspects involved in the attack on the Buddha statues in Mawanella. Azad Sally had been remanded for about eight months citing various facts.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act as well as the United Nations Convention on Civil and Political Rights are now being implemented in Sri Lanka for political retaliation and repression of dissent. Sakthika Shatkumara, the first author of Azad Sally, and Anhaf Jasim, a Muslim poet, were also arrested and remanded by the police under the same Act.