Verdict on Raviraj murder case: Another travesty of justice

By

M.K. Eelaventhan

The recent acquittal of six accused in the political murder trial of late MP Nadarajah Raviraj is not surprising but it is yet another expected verdict from the Sri Lankan judiciary.

It would have been a real surprise if the accused were convicted as, in the Sri Lankan Judicial system, convicting Government officials, particularly Security Personnel, is next to impossible due to the culture of impunity ingrained in the Sri Lankan Judicial dispensation of justice.

The President’s open condemnation of the Law Enforcement Officials for taking Mr.Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and other top Navy Officers recently to the courts is an open blanket of impunity directive to anyone who dares to haul-up Security Personnel and even dares to charge or convict them.

This being the sorry state of affairs of the Judiciary, there are no other alternatives left. But only an international investigation into the exposed war crimes and crimes against humanity, etc, committed by the Security Forces during the 2006 to 2009 war, can ensure accountability and justice to the victimized Tamils.

In 2006 when I was an MP, Mr. Rajapaksa the then Prime Minister promised me during a conversation in the Parliament “Eelaventhan don’t worry the Scotland Yard is coming and they will deal with the case on Mr. Raviraj and not to worry about it.” This is one of the typical promises given by the Sri Lankan Governments, which are only meant for instant satisfaction and never intended for fulfilment.

M.K. Eelaventhan

M.K. Eelaventhan is a former Member of Parliament, Sri Lanka, a Member of the Transnational government of Tamil Eelam.