The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued an arrest warrant against MP Wimal Weerawansa for failing to appear before the court when the case over his 2016 protest in front of the UN office in Colombo was taken up this morning (June 19), Ada Derana reporter said.

Meanwhile, MP Weerakumara Dissanayake, who is also an accused in the case, had not appeared before the courts today while his attorney submitted a medical report to the court over his failure to appear before the court.

However, the other defendants of the case, MPs Piyasiri Dissanayake, Mohammed Muzammil, Jayantha Samaraweera and Rojer Senevirathne had appeared in the court today.

Chief Magistrate Prasanna de Alwis stated that a situation has arisen where it is not possible to hear the case, as each of the defendants alternately avoid appearing before the court on each day when this case is taken up.

Further, the Chief Magistrate warned that if the defendants avoid appearing in court in this manner, the case will have to be heard after remanding all the defendants in custody.

Later, the case was ordered to be recalled on September 11, 2023. 

The case had been filed on the charges of causing public inconvenience by blocking the roads around the United Nations (UN) Office in Thummulla, Colombo when the then UN Human Rights Commissioner, Prince Zeid Al Hussain visited Sri Lanka in 2016.