Were two teachers forced to testify against Hejaaz? 

Two arrested teachers from a Madrassa school in Madurankuliya had filed two separate fundamental rights petitions saying a group of officers investigating into the Hejaz Hizbullah case have pressured them to give evidence against him.

President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court regarding the petitions today (01).

The suspects were to provide a statement before the Magistrate under Section 127 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Sumanthiran said.

He made this statement when the complaint against the two teachers from a Madurankuliya school who were arrested by the CID, were brought before Colombo Chief Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage today.

The two suspects were arrested by the CID on March 26. They were detained by the CID under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court by the CID yesterday (31). The arrest came soon after the fundamental rights petitions were filed.

They were produced before the Chief Magistrate today (1) after their lawyer informed that they were prepared to make a statement and that there were objections against their remand. Accordingly, President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran appeared for the two suspects today.

He said the suspects who are being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and produced before the courts can be remanded only if there is credible evidence against them. He also said that suspects produced without sufficient evidence to satisfy a Magistrate should be released. Mr. Sumanthiran also requested that the two suspects be released as there was not enough evidence against them.

The Magistrate directed the Registrar to provide the Attorney General with a copy of the CID report on the suspects and instructed Mr. Sumanthiran to make a written submission to the court after studying it.

Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage ordered the two suspects to be produced before court on the 15th of this month after considering the results of their PCR tests.