The family of Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, better known by his underworld alias “Harak Kata,” has alleged that he is being unjustly detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to prevent him from exposing bribery claims involving senior police officers and politicians.
In a complaint to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva, Wickramaratne’s father, Nelson Mervin Wickramaratne, said his son has been held for more than 30 months under successive detention orders despite no weapons, drugs, or serious criminal charges being filed against him. The only cases raised so far relate to an alleged attempted escape from custody.
According to the letter, Harak Kata has claimed that while in the custody of the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID), he was pressured over large-scale bribes and has knowledge of payments sought by high-ranking police officials and politicians. He fears that speaking out could lead to retaliation, including further restrictions on his limited detention privileges.
As an example, he cited that his daily time outside his cell was reduced from six hours to three hours after he made a controversial statement about refusing to pay a Rs. 30 million bribe allegedly demanded by former Minister Tiran Alles and a former Inspector General of Police who has since been removed from office.
The family also alleges that his detention conditions are designed to break his silence, including isolation, poor food quality, lack of access to his wife and child, and medical neglect. He previously contracted chikungunya while in detention, which his family claims was linked to unsanitary conditions around his cell.
The complaint urges the United Nations body to press the Sri Lankan government to address what it describes as arbitrary and politically motivated detention.
Sri Lankan authorities have not yet responded publicly to the latest allegations. (Newswire)
