Sri Lankan opposition leaders are vehemently protesting the alleged degrading treatment and detention of former state intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who was hospitalised after a hunger strike amidst the reopened investigation into the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Key Points
- Sri Lankan opposition leaders have begun a protest in support of former state intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who is currently detained.
- Sallay was admitted to the National Hospital after a hunger strike, with his wife alleging ‘torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment’ under detention.
- Opposition leaders, including former minister Wimal Weerawansa, demand better treatment for Sallay, whom they consider a ‘war hero’.
- Sallay was arrested on February 25 as part of the reopened investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings.
- His wife, Manori Sallay, has also complained about restricted access for herself, her son, and his attorneys to visit him in hospital.
A group of Sri Lankan opposition leaders on Monday began a protest in support of detained former head of the state intelligence service Suresh Sallay.
Sallay was admitted to the National Hospital last night due to his resorting to a fast unto death, alleging degrading treatment under detention since late February.
Concerns Over Detainee’s Well-being
His hospital transfer came after a letter addressed to the inspector general of police by his wife Manori Sallay alleged that her husband was subjected to “torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
“We want to send a message to the government that the well-being of Sallay is a priority as a former war hero. His torturing must stop,” Wimal Weerawansa, a former minister and the leader of the National Freedom Front, told reporters as they began their protest opposite the main Colombo railway station.
“We won’t stop until he receives better treatment under detention,” Weerawansa said.
Investigation Into Easter Sunday Bombings
Sallay was arrested on February 25 to question him in a bid to track down the mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings, which killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, at churches and five-star hotels in Colombo.
Sallay was serving in a diplomatic position overseas when the attacks took place. A retired Major General, he was a key state intelligence official under the Mahinda Rajapaksa government before 2015.
He was accused of maintaining links with the Islamic extremist activists who carried out the attack.
Family Alleges Restricted Access
Manori Sallay, in another letter to the Director CID on Monday, said she and her son were only allowed to see her husband from a distance in the hospital.
She urged that his attorneys be allowed to visit him at his bedside.
The government of Maithripala Sirisena was accused of inaction despite intelligence being shared by India on the impending attack.
The current National People’s Power (NPP) government, in late 2024, reopened the Easter Sunday investigations, claiming that political influence had led to its cover-up.
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