Members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) are refraining from appearing before courts island-wide on behalf of any cases today (16).
The decision was taken at a special general meeting held yesterday (15) in response to the recent shooting and killing of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda, Thalangama.
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 today 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 today.
- 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.
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.
