(UTV|COLOMBO) – Ahimsa Wickrematunge, has decided to appeal against the decision to dismiss the case against former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA), through whom the case had been filed said.
The US District Court of California had dismissed a case against Rajapaksa, over the killing of senior journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, citing “foreign official immunity”.
“This is a disappointing setback in my family’s long fight for justice on behalf of my father, as well as for the movement to end impunity for the killing of journalists in Sri Lanka,” Ahimsa was quoted as saying in a statement issued by CJA.
District judge Gary Klausner declared that the prosecution had not suggested that Rajapaksa’s US citizenship should “override” that all his activities had been carried out in his capacity as Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence.
Ahimsa had alleged that Rajapaksa, in his capacity as Secretary of Defence, “exercise command responsibility over, conspired with, aided and abetted, and/or incited individiuals in the Tripoli Platoon”, over the killing of the senior journalist in 2009.
She accused the former defence secretary of “extrajudicial killing”, “crimes against humanity”, and “torture”, and alleged that Rajapaksa, and the individuals under his command, had worked to prevent an investigation into the incident.
See the full statement issued by the Centre for Justice and Accountability here
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