Attorney-at-law Hejaaz Hizbullah has been granted bail by the Court of Appeal after being detained for over 20 months.
Hizbullah was released on bail today after the Puttalam High Court judge refused to grant bail to him last month.
Refusing bail, she claimed that it was not under her jurisdiction, despite the Attorney General having consented to grant bail.
The judge further informed the defense to request bail from the Court of Appeal on the 9th of February 2022.
The bail application had been filed at the Puttalam High Court after Hizbullah’s lawyer had agreed to a settlement with the other parties in the interest of his client.
On 20th January, the Attorney General’s (AG) Department said it has no objections to releasing Hizbullah on bail subject to conditions.
The AG’s Department informed the Court of Appeal that the bail will be granted only if the defence makes an application for bail at the Puttalam High Court when the case is taken up for hearing.
Attorney-at-law Hejaaz Hizbullah was arrested in April 2020 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and has been in remand custody for over 20 months.
While the police earlier said the lawyer was arrested for alleged links to the Easter attacks, he was subsequently accused of promoting racial hatred, an offence under Sri Lanka’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act. He had spent 10 months in custody before being charged. (NewsWire)
