Former Minister and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila has filed a petition before the Court of Appeal seeking an order to prevent his arrest under what he claims is the misuse of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.
The petition, lodged today (September 1) through his legal team, requests writs of prohibition and certiorari against attempts by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest him. Gammanpila argues that the ICCPR Act is being wrongfully invoked with the hidden purpose of subjecting him to prolonged detention, possibly up to a year in remand custody, without trial.
Gammanpila, who is currently in Thailand, has named the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, the Inspector General of Police, senior CID officials, and the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration among the respondents. He has submitted the petition through his power of attorney holder in Colombo.
In his filing, the former Minister outlines his political and professional background, including his past roles as a Cabinet Minister and vocal critic of the LTTE. He claims his recent public statements, particularly his criticism of the arrest of former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetanna based on testimony from a former LTTE leader, have been mischaracterized as incitement.
Gammanpila insists that his remarks were aimed solely at exposing the impropriety of relying on testimony from former LTTE members to implicate senior military officers, and not at stirring ethnic or religious hatred. He maintains that the term “kotiya” used in his media remarks referred exclusively to members of the LTTE and not to any ethnic community.
The petition also references statements recorded from several journalists by the CID regarding his media briefing and interviews, which he says are being used to build a case against him. He contends that these actions amount to harassment and an attempt to silence his political commentary.
The Court of Appeal is expected to take up the petition in the coming days. (Newswire)
