Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara has alleged that the Government is using arrests and criminal charges to silence those who speak out against it, claiming that he is also among those being targeted.
Speaking during a political programme aired on a private television channel on June 30, Jayasekara claimed that the Government was attempting to conceal fraud and corruption by arresting individuals and filing cases against them.
“They say Dayasiri is shouting because there are allegations against him. That is not the issue. The real problem is that when we raise our voices, cases are filed against us,” he said.
Jayasekara further alleged that those who criticise the Government are being prosecuted under the Public Property Act, which he claimed makes it difficult to obtain bail.
He cited several recent arrests to support his claim, alleging that Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s son was arrested after the former minister criticised the Government, while Sugeeshwara Bandara was also arrested after speaking against the administration.
He also referred to the arrests of Charith Abeysinghe and Rakhitha Rajapaksa, alleging that they were carried out with an excessive deployment of officers.
Jayasekara claimed that he and others who oppose the Government could face similar action in the future.
“If we are arrested under the Public Property Act, a Magistrate cannot grant bail unless there are exceptional circumstances provided by law. What happens then is that people are remanded for weeks or even months,” he said.
The parliamentarian made the remarks while discussing what he described as the Government’s response to political criticism.
