Members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) have decided not to appear before courts island-wide on behalf of any cases tomorrow (16).

The decision was taken at a special general meeting held today in response to the recent shooting and killing of a lawyer and his wife.

BASL President Attorney Rajeev Amarasuriya noted that the BASL members held detailed deliberations on the implications of the attack and agreed to refrain from court proceedings tomorrow in a show of solidarity and protest.

He said the decision reflects the collective stance of the legal community in response to an attack on one of their own.

Speaking to media, BASL President Attorney Rajeev Amarasuriya confirmed that the association’s general assembly reached four unanimous decisions during the meeting convened following the murder of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda.

The four decisions adopted by the Bar Association are as follows:

• To urge the government to take immediate action to end the prevailing culture of murders in the country and ensure public safety.
• To have all members refrain from attending court activities across the country tomorrow.
• To request that police and relevant law enforcement institutions immediately arrest and take legal action against all individuals responsible for the heinous crime.
• To express strong disapproval to police and other concerned parties regarding the dissemination or portrayal of unverified information as factual.

All members of the Bar Association gathered in Colombo today (15) to discuss the next steps in response to the murder of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda.

The meeting was held at the Bar Association headquarters in Hulftsdorp.

This is the first time in 14 years that all members of the Bar Association convened for a collective meeting in Colombo.

Approximately 3,500 lawyers attended the meeting today, with several of them participating via Zoom.