SLPP Gen. Secy. alleges political persecution and institutional decay

Sagara Kariyawasam, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), delivered a scathing critique of the NPP administration during a nationwide seminar series launch in Kalutara. He accused the government of weaponizing state institutions against political rivals, leading to the erosion of the rule of law. Kariyawasam pointed to state institutions such as the Police, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), and the Department of Prisons as being no longer impartial, but carrying out political directives.

He highlighted recent appointments and administrative actions, specifically the reinstatement of a retired police officer to head the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which he believed was politically motivated due to the officer’s past NPP affiliations. Kariyawasam also alleged that witnesses had been coerced into signing false statements implicating former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa.

He condemned the Ministry of Justice for failing to enforce a Human Rights Commission order to reinstate the former Prisons Commissioner General after the removal was deemed unlawful. Kariyawasam emphasized the legal process should involve investigation, charge disclosure, a formal charge sheet, and a fair trial, criticizing the current situation where Namal Rajapaksa remains remanded without charges or a concluded trial.

He likened this situation to the lawlessness and social terror of the 1987–1989 second JVP insurrection, warning that political bias in law enforcement threatens the safety of ordinary citizens and families. Kariyawasam concluded by reciting Pastor Martin Niemöller’s poem, urging citizens to resist selective oppression and protect democratic rights and the integrity of the law.