3 October 2022 09:31 am Views - 82
By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya
President Ranil Wickremesinghe had issued an extraordinary gazette on Saturday, revoking an order that declared several key locations in Colombo as high-security zones paving the way to end court cases filed against the gazette notification through which the zones were declared.
On September 23, President Wickremesinghe declared the Parliament, Supreme Court complex, the President’s Secretariat, Ministry of Defence, Army headquarters, Air Force headquarters, the Prime Minister’s office, the Temple Trees, and the official residences of the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the Commanders of the Tri Forces as high-security zones, and banned any kind of protest or agitation near its premises.
According to the notification, protests and public gatherings in the areas declared as High-Security Zones were banned while vehicle parking won’t be allowed in the vicinity of any of the designated locations. Following the notification, several organizations and opposition parties voiced their concerns against the decision.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party has also filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the order. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has also condemned the move and called it illegal.