Ex-Navy chief’s writ petition fixed for trial in September

Several family members of the 11 youth, who were abducted and allegedly killed in the ‘Navy 11’ case, staged a protest in front of the Appeal Court on June 24 and 25, 2024

Fight for justice: Jennifer Weerasinghe (extreme left), N. Sarojini (middle) sharing their thoughts following the protest held on June 24 and 25.  

• The Attorney General filed indictments with over 667 charges against 14 individuals
• The case has been dragging for 15 long years
• A silent protest was staged by families of the abducted youth in front of the Colombo Supreme Court complex on the day of the hearing

Several family members of the 11 youth who were abducted and allegedly killed in the ‘Navy 11’ case staged a protest in front of the Appeal Court on June 24 and 25, 2024. The two days coincided with the first hearing of the writ petition filed by Former Navy Commander, Admiral of Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda by a newly appointed five-member judge bench. During their protest, the parents demanded the Attorney General to name the Ex-navy chief as the 14th accused in the case. 

In an earlier instance, the Attorney General filed indictments with over 667 charges against the 14 individuals in connection with the torture, extortion, abduction and conspiracy to murder 11 youths in 2008-2009. Karannagoda filed this Writ Petition to the Court of Appeal in 2020 preventing the Colombo High Court from hearing the case. 

After four years, on June 7, 2024 a five-member judge bench comprising Justices Menaka Wijesundera, Sampath B. Abeykoon, Mayadunne Corea and Chamath Morais was appointed by the Court of Appeal to hear the case. The first hearing was fixed for June 25. The Daily Mirror learned that only one judge was present at the first hearing and that new dates were fixed for the next hearing on September 25 and October 23, 2024. 

The case has been dragging for 15 long years. The 11 men, some of whom were just out of high school and were awaiting to travel abroad to pursue higher studies, were allegedly abducted by Navy sailors. 

“The Attorney General’s attempt to release Ex-Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, the 14th accused in the Navy abduction case involving the disappearance of 11 teenage children, under political coercion constitutes – A betrayal of law, A betrayal of justice and A betrayal of victims” read one of the posters that was displayed during a silent protest staged by families of the abducted youth in front of the Colombo Supreme Court complex on the day of the hearing. 

Jennifer Weerasinghe’s son was 24 years old at the time he went missing. She said that the families of the abducted youth have faced many injustices over the years. She alleged that Karannagoda is being safeguarded by the state and that there’s a conspiracy to drop charges levelled against him. “If they want to drop charges levelled against him then he should first appear in courts and present his statement,” she underscored.

Weerasinghe and other parents who have been demanding justice are worried about the various political interferences that have delayed proceedings in courts. “It took four years to launch a trial on his writ application,” Weerasinghe said while adding that they will continue their fight until justice is served to their children. 

Despite rain or sunshine, the parents would stage protests every time a hearing on this case is fixed in courts. “Our feet are worn out, but we will continue our fight until we find out what actually happened to our children,” Weerasinghe said with determination and hope. 

N. Sarojini’s son Rajiv was planning to immigrate abroad and study medicine at the time he was abducted. She believes that her son is still alive. “They abducted our children demanding ransom and I urge the government to give our children back,” she demanded.

A police investigation found credible evidence that Navy officers were involved in the abduction and killing of 11 youth. In 2019, the Attorney General’s Office indicted that the Navy chief and others for the crimes.

In October 2021, Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam told the Court of Appeal that the state will not pursue charges against Karannagoda, who was first indicted in 2019, paving the way for a lower court to release him. Four charges have been laid against Karannagoda, including conspiracy to murder; which carries the death penalty. Even though the ex-Navy Chief had been summoned to courts on at least four separate occasions, he had failed to appear in hearings; raising concerns among the aggrieved parties. 

However, in an earlier occasion, Karannagoda had denied all charges and accusations levelled against him; calling the investigation a ‘political revenge’.