Daughter of Lasantha Wickrematunge calls for impeachment of Attorney General

Ahimsa Wickrematunge, daughter of slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, addressed a letter to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, urging the impeachment of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe for his decision to discharge three suspects in her father’s assassination case.

According to Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the discharge was not a mistake but a result of negligence and abuse of power. She criticized Ranasinghe for fostering a culture of complacency within the Attorney General’s Department, leading to a disregard for justice in the investigation of her father’s assassination.

Lasantha Wickrematunge was killed on January 8, 2009, in a targeted attack in broad daylight near the Ratmalana Air Force Base. The investigation into his death was severely delayed until 2015 when the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following the change of government.

Over four years, the CID uncovered substantial evidence, including a missing field notebook and witness testimonies that pointed to police officers obstructing the investigation.

Ahimsa claimed that Ranasinghe ignored key evidence, including the destruction of critical documents and suppression of leads. She also accused the Attorney General of relying on a distorted version of the investigation presented by former government officials to justify the discharge of suspects.

She further stressed that if Ranasinghe was unaware of these facts when making his decision, it amounted to gross neglect; if he was aware, it was an abuse of power. Ahimsa called for his impeachment by Parliament to restore faith in the justice system and ensure accountability.

The letter was also copied to the Minister of Justice and the Leader of the Opposition.

Read the full letter sent by Ahimsa Wickrematunge