A Sri Lankan lawyer has alleged that his vehicle was attacked and damaged by a mob outside the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court, warning that the incident reflects growing dangers faced by lawyers for carrying out their professional duties.
Attorney-at-law Harshana Jayaratne said the incident occurred on Friday morning as he was leaving the court premises, when a group of around 50 to 75 people surrounded his car at the main gate and smashed it.
Jayaratne said the attackers were not personal adversaries but individuals angered by his role as legal counsel for a suspect in a case. He said the mob threatened to kill him if he returned to court and forcibly assaulted a senior lawyer who was accompanying him, dragging the lawyer by his shirt collar.
Police intervention eventually prevented serious injury, Jayaratne said, adding that he lodged a complaint at the Mirihana Police Headquarters shortly after the incident. However, he noted that no suspects had been arrested even after more than 24 hours.
Jayaratne warned that lawyers in Sri Lanka are increasingly vulnerable to intimidation and violence simply for representing clients in court, stressing that the profession has become “dangerously unsafe.”
“We go to court to seek justice for others, but we no longer have the assurance of safely returning home,” he said, urging authorities in the justice, law and order sectors to take urgent steps to prevent further attacks on legal professionals.
Former Justice Minister and President’s Counsel Ali Sabry also condemned the incident, describing it as “deeply disturbing.”
In a statement, Sabry said lawyers are often criticised and targeted until the moment critics themselves need legal representation, calling such attitudes hypocritical. He warned that the failure of law enforcement to prevent the attack and swiftly apprehend those responsible signals a dangerous breakdown in institutional responsibility.
“If lawyers cannot appear, advise and represent clients without fear or favour, courts become theatres, justice becomes selective, and the rule of law collapses,” Sabry said.
He stressed that attacks on lawyers are not merely assaults on individuals but on the justice system itself, warning that normalising intimidation and official silence would ultimately endanger every citizen’s right to legal representation.
Police have yet to publicly comment on the incident or announce any arrests. (Newswire)