Sri Lanka lawyers protest against threats to Mannar Magistrate, government promises to punish guilty

Amid protests by the lawyers against the threats on a judge continued, the Sri Lankan government promised to investigate the incident and punish the guilty regardless of their status. Hundreds of lawyers staged another protest today outside the Hultsdorf Courts Complex against the threats made on the Magistrate of Mannar allegedly by the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiyutheen.
They demanded the removal of the Minister, who they say threatened the Mannar Magistrate A. Judeson over a ruling that allegedly favored the Tamils in a dispute between the resettled Muslims and Tamils. Minister Maithripala Sirisena has said that the government, as a responsible government committed to protect the independence of the judiciary, would take all necessary measures in this regard to punish the guilty. "The President has publicly expressed his regret for the incident and has directed the CID and police to expeditiously conduct an independent investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice," the Minister has said. "Whoever the perpetrators are, the government of the Alliance led by the SLFP expresses their protest and condemns the incident with much disgust," the Minister has added. Meanwhile, the lawyers of Sri Lanka's Bar Association are to file a contempt of court charge against Minister Bathiyutheen on Monday (30).