Colombo: Sri Lankan police on Saturday arrested 84 protesters, including activists of the radical Socialist Youth Front, for taking part in a protest march against the government and its recent moves to use a controversial anti-terrorism law to detain people for exercising the right to democratic protest, police said.
The police fired tear gas and water cannon at the activists of the Socialist Youth Front as they started to move from the central Colombo's Lipton Circus to the Colombo Fort railway station in a protest march. The protesters said the government was using Prevention of Terrorism Act to detain people for exercising the right to democratic protest.
The police have arrested 84 protesters who had taken part in a street protest this afternoon against what they termed the state repression, police said. Though the demonstration was planned for a long time, it came a day after the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe through a special gazette notification declared several key government building areas as high security zones, prohibiting any kinds of protests in the location.
According to the notification, areas around Parliament, Supreme Court Complex, High Court Complex in Colombo, Magistrate Court Complex in Colombo and Attorney General's Department, Presidential Secretariat, President's House, Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters and Police Headquarters were declared as High Security Zones.
In a statement, the powerful lawyers' body Bar Association of Sri Lanka said they would take legal action against the gazette order to ensure the Fundamental Rights of people are not violated. The BASL stated that the order imposes stringent provisions in respect of bail by stating that a person arrested under the said orders shall not be granted bail except by a High Court. (PTI)
