Website raid: Mangala vows to go to courts

UNP parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera yesterday vowed to file a fundamental rights petition against last week’s raid on the Sri Lanka X news in his capacity as the head of the website.

He said nine others who were arrested and later released on bail would also follow suit.

The UNP MP charged that the nine wsere arrested in connection with a law that no longer existed. Mr. Samaraweera said according to the officers who conducted the raid, they were arrested in connection with section 118 of the Penal Code. He said this section under which a person could be penalized for using insulting words or signs, to bring the President into contempt was repealed in 2002. Therefore he said there had been no legal provision for the arrest.

Besides, the UNP MP said there was no law in

He said nine others who were arrested and released on bail would also follow suit.

the country under which requires the compulsory registration of websites. He therefore said Sri Lanka X news which was the official UNP website would not be registered under any circumstances.

He also dismissed reports which said the website office had been sealed. He however said even the women who had been employed to prepare tea were also arrested and taken for questioning. “This raid was done to silence Sri Lanka X news which revealed true facts on the present regime,” he said.

Mr. Samaraweera said this act confirmed that the Sri Lanka was under a rule of Kleptocracy like in a few African nations.