The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Government repeatedly says: “Show a single misuse under emergency.” That is not the test. When a special law that derogates from ordinary law and democracy is imposed, you must justify necessity. The burden is on you to explain what emergency enables that existing disaster laws cannot do. If you bring emergency, tell Parliament and the country specifically what actions cannot be done under ordinary and disaster legislation.

¶ 02 We have bitter experiences with emergency—worse than many in the ruling party itself. As a former State Counsel in Kurunegala, I hesitate to even recall the devastation under Section 688 then. Hence, unless strictly necessary, emergency is wrong.

¶ 03 On the PTA: the Deputy Minister of Public Security said that post-Easter, 540-plus persons were held; 90–95% were Muslims. Our friend, Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah, was among them; he slept on a table without even a bed. Though released on bail after establishing prima facie innocence, his case still drags on—he remains only a “suspect.”

¶ 04 To date, no one has been convicted for Easter. Except for certain Supreme Court findings against former President Maithripala Sirisena, there have been no convictions. Therefore, do not justify PTA with Easter.

¶ 05 In answer to a question I raised in Parliament: of the 548 detained post-Easter under the PTA, about 418 were released without charges—innocent Muslims held as “suspects.” We have a duty to recall this. Now, for a single individual, there is an uproar, while hundreds suffered in silence then. Law must be equal to all: until proven guilty, they are innocent; if detained as suspects, treat them humanely, and if wronged, seek redress in court. Thank you.