JVP to petition HRC over election violence

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has said it would file a petition at the Human Rights Commission on tomorrow citing the Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya as a respondent.

JVP Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath told a media briefing that party candidate Sugath Balagalla and Sunil Watagala who is in charge of the party’s legal matters would file the petition.

“Elections Commissioner will have to go before the Human Rights Commission and say why he failed to take action to stop the election-related violence and the violation of election laws being blatantly carried out by the ruling party candidates,” he said.

Mr. Hearth said the Mr. Deshapriya had failed to take action despite being provided with all the details and the evidence on the violence and the election law violations.
He said the Elections Chief had informed them that he had ample proof of ruling party candidates having violated election laws during the campaigning in the Uva Province.

Mr. Herath said the 18th Amendment had prevented the Elections Chief from taking proper action to make sure that the electins to the Uva Provincial Council elections was free and fair.

“The 18th Amendment had made the EC a ‘Weda Bari Tarzan’,” he said.

(Daily Mirror)