Sri Lanka police had violated the law by raiding office of two websites - Opposition Leader

Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has told parliament today that the police acted illegally violating the law when it raided the office of the two websites Sri Lanka Mirror and Sri Lanka X News and arrested the office personnel including the journalists.
He has noted the police statement that these people were arrested under Section 118 of the Penal Code, which has been repealed under Act No. 12 of 2002. Wickremasinghe has observed that the Magistrate had ordered the release of the persons in custody on bail since the Section cited by the Police on the Law of Criminal Defamation has been repealed. "There is no legal basis whatsoever for the Police to take persons into custody under a law which is not in force. That amounts to a violation of not only the law in the country, but also the Police Code of Discipline. Equally, it is an infringement of the right for expression established under Section 14 (1) B of the Constitution," he has said. "The question initially arising here is whether the Government in fact is going to protect the right for expression. The question also arises here as to who has given the permission and orders to the Policemen to engage in such an unlawful action. What is the basis of that illegal act? Who wanted it done?" he has queried. According to Wickremasinghe, the officers have contravened Sections 1 and 2 under Schedule B of the Police Code of Discipline, which is a punishable offence.