Human rights awareness programmes for police in Badulla, Moneragala

Sarath MALALASEKERA

COLOMBO: The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) conducted awareness programmes for Police personnel in the Badulla and Moneragala Police Divisions to educate them on human rights violations.

Over 100 policemen and women from each division participated in the programme.

Badulla DIG Miskin and Moneragala Senior SP Daya Samaraweera also participated.

HRCSL Commissioner Justice D. Jayawickrema addressing the police personnel said that human rights violations by police personnel were less than the human rights violations from other sectors.

The HRCSL Commissioner emphasised that the police personnel should not use force on suspects arrested and detained at police stations. In London Policemen are called “Gentlemen”. “I appeal to Sri Lankan Police personnel to act like gentlemen when performing their duties,” Justice Jayawickrema added.

The objectives of the programme Justice Jayawickrema explained are to improve awareness of the State officials on human rights, to educate officials on the international standards on human rights, to discuss the problems in relation to the violations of fundamental rights, to minimise the fundamental rights violations within the institutions attached to the Ministry, to update on new laws, procedures and institutions related to human rights and to strengthen the State sector to provide speedy solutions to fundamental rights violations.

Justice Jayawickrema pointed out the importance of this programme to the participants and requested them to make use of this knowledge in their daily activities.

The participants who were very appreciative of this programme appealed to Justice Jayawickrema to conduct similar programmes in other parts of the country.