Sri Lankan lawyers withdraw from courts after Akuregoda shooting

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has decided to withdraw from all court proceedings across the country tomorrow (February 16) as a mark of protest following the fatal shooting of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda.

The decision was taken at a General Assembly meeting held in Colombo today (February 15).

Members from across the country were summoned for the special meeting to discuss the Association’s response to the killings and to decide on the next course of action.

Speaking after the meeting, BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya said the General Assembly unanimously adopted four key resolutions.

Among them was a call on the government to put an end to what the Association described as a prevailing culture of killings in the country and to ensure the safety of the public.

The Association also unanimously agreed that all lawyers would refrain from engaging in professional activities in courts islandwide on Monday (February 16) as a sign of protest.

Before this decision, the BASL Executive Committee had met yesterday to discuss the matter but was unable to reach a final decision. This led to the convening of a full membership meeting today.

This is the first time since 2012 that the BASL has called a meeting involving all its members.

The previous occasion was during the impeachment proceedings against former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.