President orders Avant Garde case to continue

President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed relevant authorities to continue with legal proceeding regarding the controversial Avant Garde issue, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. 

Addressing a cabinet press briefing today, the spokesman said that they are content with the investigations being carried out regarding the case, however he conceded that there are still ministers and officials who are soliciting bribes. 

On the topic of investigating allegations of human rights violations in Sri Lanka, he said that many countries have pledged support to a domestic mechanism and not a hybrid court as proposed by the UNHRC report. 

Responding to questions regarding former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s call to reject the UNHRC report, Dr Senaratne said that the task of healing the wounds created by the Rajapaksas has fallen to the incumbent government.

To a question by reporters regarding talk about implementing the death penalty and the President’s recent comments on the matter, the Minister of Health said that although options vary on capital punishment there has been no final decision on the issue. 

The cabinet spokesman said that he is unaware of any country where the crime rate had fallen as a result of implementing the death sentence and that he had voted against a similar proposal brought forth to the parliament on a previous instance.